Gundam Tekkamen
by Xardion
Summary: A Gundam Wing Tekkaman Blade crossover fusion. Epilouge! Please R
1. Intro

Disclaimer: I do **not **_(Thank you ChaosControlX for the warning_) own Tekkaman Blade, Tekkaman Blade II or Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. There, I said it.

_AN: I have no ideal what I'm getting myself into here, but it'll get better as I go along, I hope. I just have to keep myself focused._

Alright, here we go…

_Introduction_

_Earth has grown overpopulated and many have decided to go out into space. At first, the colonies stayed in Earth's orbit, hovering above the planet. As time grew on, some of the colonies drifted further into space while many connected together to form an orbital Space Ring. Unfortunately, Earth was invaded by an alien force called the Radham. The many of the distant colonies were either destroyed or the people inside were captured by the Radham. However, a sole warrior came up to fight the Radham and actually drove them away. His name was Tekkaman Blade. Now several years has passed. Earth has discovered the secrets of the Tekka-process and is beginning to create their own Tekkamen to fight the Radham. In charge of the project is none other than the Space Knights, the ones responsible for Earth's safety. However, the project was not without its fallbacks. On one occasion, the space colony 16483- __Prague-__ was destroyed when they began to rebel against the earth with the idea that tekkamen was superior. Years later, this tragedy produced a single tekkaman, Dead End, who was bent on destroying the Space Knights in a misguided quest for revenge. But that tekkaman was restored to reason and later joined them. However, there were few who still believed that tekkamen were superior, but feared moving against the Earth and creating another Black September. Therefore, they secretly hid their identities within the Earth military, using the advanced Sol Tekka-suits to hide their abilities as tekkamen. But there were few who didn't agree with the rebels and decided to fight them secretly as well, under the guise of Space Knights. Also unknown, they were Radham made, specifically by five doctors who helped the Space Knights decipher the Tekka-process and augmented further with the extremely powerful Gundamium armor. Five young boys from each colony, all on separate missions. Mainly, to stop the Radham forces and the rebel forces known only as OZ._

_They were the Gundam Tekkamen..._

_Colony L2_

"Alright, it's up to you. Are you ready for this?"

"Are you kidding? I was ready an hour ago."

"Heh, fine. Your ship's here."

"Earth, here I come. The god of death is descending upon you."

_Colony L5_

"You understand your mission."

"Yes."

"You have been trained well. Go now."

"Right. Justice will return to space."

_Colony L4_

"Are you sure you should do this?"

"I have to. It's the only way to stop both OZ and the Radham. Besides...I've always wanted to see the Earth."

"Just take care of yourself out there."

"I will."

_Colony L3_

"You understand what you must do?"

"Yes."

"Then you should leave immediately. Your ship will arrive in minutes."

".........."

_Colony L1_

"You have your orders. You know what to do."

"Roger. Mission accepted."

_just__ feel "Rhythm Emotion"_

_kono__ mune no kodou wa_

_anata__ e to tsudzuite'ru so far away_


	2. The Shooting Star

Disclaimer: The same as before. See Introduction.

Chap. 1

Transport Shuttle, midway between colony L1 and Space Ring.

Inside, Relena Dorlian was gazing out into space. Seated next to her, her father, Vice Minister Dorlian was finishing some papers regarding a proposal to move the colonies closer to the Earth for better protection against the Radham.

_The colony citizens are so independent. They truly believe that they can survive on their own. But the longer they stay separate, the greater the risk for all of us. Still, we can't force them. It is their home after all. Their choice._ He then looked over to Relena. _I just hope we don't all regret it._

"Enjoying the view, Relena?"

"I suppose."

"What's wrong? Aren't you glad to be back on the earth?"

Relena turned, "No. Not a bit."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't spend any time with you, but my work keeps me busy."

"Next time, why don't you find a way to leave yourself some quality time?"

The shuttle continued on its course toward the Earth. It was later joined by another shuttle also coming from the L1 colony and a military shuttle. On board was none other than ace soldier, Zechs Marquise.

"So the secret weapon is on one of those shuttles."

The pilot spoke back, "Yeah, but which one?"

"The second one. It came from the less populated part of the L1 colony. The weapon would be more easily stored there. It has to be kept secret after all."

"Right."

The three ships continued their descent toward Earth. Suddenly, the second shuttle was hit by an energy blast and damaged. Above them, a group of Radham was coming at the three ships, attacking wildly. The first shuttle took a few blasts while the second sustained massive damage. Only the military ship was untouched.

"All units assemble immediately!"

Zechs, along with two other soldiers entered the exit hatch and into their Sol-Tekkasuits. Two Ares types and one Leo type. They launched out and began attacking the Radham.

"Keep your sights focused. We need to get them away from the two shuttles."

The three Sol-Tekkas quickly zoomed around and fired. Their shots were accurate, destroying Radham with every shot. However, the Radham managed to get by and attack the first shuttle. Now that one was taking damage. Inside, everyone screamed under the attack and Relena was pressed against the wall. Her father took a hard blow from some falling debris and was knocked out cold. Relena tried to reach him, but the ship rocked under another attack and Relena was again pushed against the wall. She moved up again, slowly and that's when her eye caught a glint of light. Looking out a window, she saw a bright glow shoot out of the second shuttle and head toward the Radham.

_What is that?_

Meanwhile, the Sol-Tekkas were holding their own against the Radham. But before they could fight any further, a beam shot through one of the Radham, obliterating it instantly.

"So that's the weapon? It's a Tekkaman!"

The tekkaman was colored in blue and red, holding a standard lancer weapon. On its back were two protruding wings. The tekkaman wasted no time in destroying the Radham, slicing then into cold cuts. While it fought, the Sol-Tekkas watched in awe.

"So that's what the weapon is."

"Shall we capture it, sir?"

"Not yet. Wait until it finishes off the Radham. We can get it once its energy is low."

The tekkaman continued its onslaught on the Radham, slaughtering any Radham that came close until they were all gone.

"We'll get him!"

"Wait, something's wrong."

The two soldiers attacked the tekkaman with their beam guns, pelting it with sheers of energy. However, the tekkaman wasn't even damaged.

_What? Not a scratch. Not even the Space Knight tekkamen could have stood up to an assault like that without some damage._

The tekkaman then turned around to them and stretched out its arm. A long protrusion appeared and it began to fill with energy.

_A Voltekka!_

A massive beam fired out and destroyed the two soldiers in a flash of light.

_What kind of power is that?_

Zechs shot toward the tekkaman at full speed. The tekkaman was caught by surprise as Zechs tackled him. Zechs quickly placed his particle cannon on him and set it to explode. Moving back, he watched as the cannon exploded on the tekkaman, sending him plummeting to Earth. But he managed to grab hold of the first shuttle, which was also crashing down to Earth and in moments, both had disappeared into the atmosphere.

"Lieutenant, are you alright?"

"Yeah, but that tekkaman won't be as lucky."

"Sir, the armor of the tekkaman was unlike anything seen before, even with the Space Knights. It is possible that it may have been constructed from gundamium alloy."

"I see. We have to get to the surface and see if there's anything left. We may have something to study. If the armor is gundamium, then there's a possibly of that."

"Roger."

Zechs ignited his booster and flew back inside the ship. As he did, he was deep in thought about the new tekkaman.

_So they created...a gundam tekkaman._

On Earth, a lone figure was looking up into the sky as though he had seen the battle himself. His shades covered the deep thoughts that were entering into his mind.

_And so it begins._


	3. Gundams are on Earth

Disclaimer: Same as before

Chap. 2

"Hang on everyone. Emergency landing."

The people on the shuttle hung on to dear life as the pilot desperately maneuvered the ship toward land. Pulling the stick, the ship's nose jerked upward as they slid on the ground. Trees were mowed down as the ship crashed and it finally stopped and came to a silent halt.

Relena stood up slowly. She was a little banged up and scratched in several areas, but she was fine. She then remembered what happened on the shuttle. _Shaking.__ Explosions, Father being hit...Oh god, father!_ Frantically, she began to look around the area, looking for her father. Turning to the side, she saw her father, unconscious and bleeding from his forehead.

"Father! Father! Huh?"

Looking over to the side, she saw a young man unconscious on the ground. Relena looked at him strangely and moved over to him. _I...should help him._ Relena knelt down to the boy and shook some of the debris off of him. It was then that she saw that he had no clothes on him at all. She backed away a bit and shook her head. _What are you doing? So what if he has no clothes, he might be hurt._ Reluctantly, Relena shook him a bit. Suddenly, his eye snapped open and he stood up. Relena was a bit shocked, but only by the fact that he was totally unharmed, without a scratch.

"Damn, I've been seen."

Relena was still in shock, but managed to regain some speech. "You should remain still. You may have internal injuries."

The boy looked at her briefly before another sound came

"Emergency crews 5 and 6 go that way. The rest will check inside."

Relena turned her head. _Oh good, help is here._ She moved back to her father and spoke, "Don't worry. Help is..."

The young boy had disappeared into thin air. Relena looked confused as the medical crews found her and her father. They loaded him in an ambulance and drove off with Relena inside with them. As they drove, Relena thought about her encounter with the mysterious young man.

"Hi. My name is Relena Dorlian. What's yours?" she whispered to herself.

_______

Spaceport...

A tall woman stood awaiting the arrival of a group of people. According to the report, she was awaiting five young men. _Great.__ Just what we need, more men._ She looked back at her sheet and their ID's. All of them would be around her age and were from various colonies. She brushed away her reddish-pink hair. _Colonies L1 to L5._ She looked up and saw four of the boys coming toward her. Instantly, she regarded them. The first one had brown hair tied up in an extremely long braid. _Why is he dressed like a priest?_ The second was blond with young boyish features. The next one had spiky hair covering one of his eyes. _Hmm.__ Those eyes..._ The last had braided hair like the first, but nowhere near as long. _Hmm. Chinese descent._ The four of them came up to the young woman.

"Duo Maxwell."

"Yeah, that's me."

"Trowa Barton."

The boy simply raised his hand.

"Quatre Raberba Winner."

"That's me."

"Chang Wufei."

"Here."

The woman looked them over, "There was supposed to be another one. A Heero Yuy?"

The four shook their heads and the woman growled.

"I don't have time for latecomers." She then calmed down, "I am Natasha Pablochiva. I will escort you to the Space Knight Command center. Come with me."

The five of them walked over to their transport and drove off. As they did, she watched them. Wufei and Trowa were quiet in their seat and Quatre was a little talkative, but quiet as well. It was Duo. He just kept talking on and on. _Doesn't he know when to stop?_

"Don't you know when to stop?"

The question came from Wufei, who had a slight scowl on his face. Natasha smirked inside.

Duo turned to him, "Well, look who decided to come alive. I was beginning to think you were mute or something."

Wufei growled, "I just have better things to do with my breath besides waste it on useless chatter."

Duo grinned, "Are you sure? You seem to be doing fine with it."

Wufei was enraged, but Quatre intervened, "Please, enough. These no need for that. We're supposed to be working together, right?"

Wufei calmed down and closed his eyes while Duo simply shrugged and looked out the window. Natasha watched the entire scene.

_Hmm.__ A jokester, a fighter, a peacemaker, and the quiet one. Talk about diverse._

Space Knight Command center. 

The four youngsters were taken to the command room. There, they met up with the other Space Knights. One was another girl, with orange hair, who looked younger than the rest of them and seemed always cheery. Next to her was a young boy with brown hair and puppy-dog eyes. Next were a tall man and tall woman standing next to Natasha. Up front was a blond haired teen with boyish features similar to Quatre, but more rugged. Finally, in the back was a green haired boy whose features made him look feminine. If not for his general build and the way he held himself, he could be easily mistaken for a girl. The Knights chatted among themselves before they the four of them came in. The little orange haired youth came up to them and extended her hand.

"Welcome to be Space Knights. My name is Yumi Fracious. Pleased to meet you." she smiled.

Duo quickly took the girl's hand, "Wow, another pretty girl. I think I'm going to like it here."

Yumi blushed and then shook Quatre's hand. Quatre shook it, "Nice to be here." Yumi then shook Trowa's hand, who stayed silent throughout the exchange. When she went to Wufei, he just gave her a glance and she backed away.

"Oh, I should introduce the others. You already met Natasha." She then indicated to the brown haired boy. "And this is Hayato." 

"Hi. Nice to meet you."

"And those two are Anita and Goliate." She pointed to the tall man and woman. Next she directed her attention to the blond haired teen

"Over there is David."

David walked over to them and smiled, "Great. Now I won't feel outnumbered anymore, eh Natasha."

Natasha just gave a scowl and looked away.

"And that guy over there is Dead. He doesn't talk too much though."

The dark boy simply glanced in their direction and looked away again. It was then that a woman walked into the command room. She had long green hair and eyes. As soon as she entered, all of the space Knight assembled and saluted. She nodded to them and sat down and they put their arms down.

"Space Knights, these are our newest members. They've been trained in the colonies and have decided to join up here with us. Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Winner and Chang Wufei, will be instructed as to how things go on around here. With their help, we will be able to fight the Radham better. Any questions?"

Natasha stepped forward, "Just one. I was supposed to pick up five, but only four arrived. What happened to the fifth?"

Aki folded her arms, "The fifth one had an accident on the way here. A group of Radham attacked and his shuttle was damaged. The person himself is alright though and had to come here by a different route."

It was then that the door beside them open and in walked another young man, with unruly brown hair, similar to Quatre's and cold, blue eye.

"My name's Heero Yuy. It's a pleasure."


	4. The Tekkaman Deathscythe

Disclaimer: Same as before

Chap. 3

The five youngsters had gotten themselves situated with the Space Knights. So far, no Radham have attacked in recent weeks so they were able adapt to their new environment. Duo would often be seen chatting with whomever he met in the hallways. Trowa would be by himself, usually either drinking a cup of tea or reading a book. Quatre was probably the busier one, doing assignments on the side. Wufei did the same, but was more solitary about it.

Only Heero was left unseen by everyone. After that first day, it seemed that he had locked himself in his quarters. He was only seen outside when the Chief had an assignment for him and when he did it, it would be as quickly as possible. Because of this, catching him was a rare thing. Fortunately, rare things were just what Duo Maxwell was good at.

"Hey, if it isn't Heero. About time you came of out your dungeon, eh?"

Heero looked up briefly before returning his attention to his work. Duo sat down in a seat next to him.

"So what do ya think of this place? Personally, it's kind of cool, although it could use a few more people."

Heero continued working as though he didn't hear him. Duo groaned out loud, "Come on, talk to me. You don't have to be anti-social, you know?"

"Leave me alone."

Duo looked down to the ground, "Uggghhh. You're hopeless. But maybe next time, I'll get you talking more. See ya."

Duo hopped up and away, leaving Heero with his work.

"You know, you don't have to be by yourself."

Heero's eye darted to the side again. This time instead of Duo, it was Yumi.

"We can all be friends, right?"

"I'm not here to make friends." was the monotone reply. With that said Heero stood up and left Yumi by herself. Hayato watched the entire event. "Man he has some nerve. Who needs him anyway?"

Yumi remained silent.

Meanwhile, Zechs is aboard his shuttle and is currently in contact with Trieze Khusrenada, founder of the Specials troops.

"It's unlike you to be careless Zechs. The alliance will now be a bit more difficult to deal with now."

"We were up against a tekkaman armored in Gundamium."

"You're joking."

"It's true. Just imagine if it was made by the colonies."

"It seems that they are more resourceful than earlier projected."

"I'm sending a team to check for any quantum trace energy. We can use it to track it down."

"Do you want to go?"

The surprise was hidden behind his mask, but Trieze was able to tell.

"Heh, it's written all over your face Zechs. Proceed."

"Yes sir."

______

Meanwhile, Heero was on his computer, checking over his descent to Earth.

_Hmm.__ An energy trace left by the damaged armor. It's still traceable. I have to move fast before OZ finds me._

______

"What do you mean contaminated?"

Zechs had arrived at the crash site along with two other soldiers and three Leo Sol-Tekka suits. Zechs was speaking to the salvage operator.

"It's nothing serious. But we need to inspect it to see how far its spread in order to contain it."

The operator was irritated, "I don't believe this. None of my crews found any such thing."

"We believe your scans may not have detected it. So until we are certain, you will not enter this area. Unless you want to have a Radham illness of some sort."

The operator fumed. He didn't believe Zechs one bit, but he had no choice. As one of the Specials, Zechs had the authority to remove him for whatever reason without question.

"Fine. Just hurry it up."

Zechs simply nodded and entered his Sol-Tekka suit. He led the others into the crash site a distance away.

"Sir, I'm picking up the trace energy. It's a quantum energy trace."

"Good, it's him. Now all we have to do is follow it to its source."

The three begin to fly off when suddenly a bright light blinds their view.

"Ahhhhhh. What is this?"

Within the light, a black shadow appears before them, wielding a deadly hooked weapon. As one of the Sol-Tekkas backs away, the bladed weapon instantly cuts him in half, destroying the Sol-Tekka. Panicked, the second one shoots with his laser cannon, but all the shots miss the agile creature and he is cut down as well. Zechs is now alone and the bright lights fades away to reveal...

"What's this?"

This tekkaman was different from the last one he encountered. He was colored black with blue splashes on him. His eyes glowed in a deadly green and he raised his lancer, a vicious-looking scythe. Zechs instantly notices the armor. _Gundamium__.__ Another one._

"Identify yourself."

The dark tekkaman chuckles, "I am Tekkaman Deathscythe. But you will know me as the god of death!!!!!"

The tekkaman instantly shot forward and Zechs moved aside just in time to avoid the swipe of his scythe. However, his suit was slashed and the cannon were damaged. Zechs dropped it on the ground.

_It was probably of no use anyway._

Zechs reached into his utility pack and unfolded a blade weapon. With this, he charged at Deathscythe, surprising him. But the tekkaman held his scythe up to block the strike. Holding his ground, he pushes the Sol-tekka back and slashes again, destroying the sword and cutting the chest piece. Zechs is stuck with no weapons as the deadly tekkaman swooped at him, ready for the kill.

"Slice and dice!"

Suddenly, a huge beam of light flies out from the sky and hits the area they are in. Deathscythe was hurled toward the ground as an explosion erupts. Looking up, he saw a red and blue tekkaman hovering above, his voltekka cannon disappearing from his arm.

"Mission complete."

With that, the mysterious tekkaman shot away, leaving Deathscythe wondering.

That blast disrupted the trace. _There's no way anyone can find him now. That explains what they were doing here. Does this mean...there are more like me here?_

Deathscythe then turned to Zechs and found the Sol-Tekka still in place. But as he moved closer, he saw that the suit was blinking rapidly.

"Self detonation. Aw crap!"

Deathscythe quickly shot away as the suit exploded right before him, pushing him further. Deathscythe looked down. _Great.__ First I loose the tekkaman, and then I almost get sideswiped by an OZ soldier. Talk about your bad days._

With that, the black tekkaman flew up and disappeared into the night.

____

_After encountering the second tekkaman, Zechs realizes the possibility that there may be more. Meanwhile Relena decides to investigate the Space Knights and finds Heero. Meanwhile, another group of OZ soldiers are destroyed by a third Tekkaman. Next on Gundam Tekkaman. Enter the Heavyarm..._


	5. Enter the Heavyarms

Disclaimer: Same as before

Chap.4

"Are you saying there are more?"

Zechs answered, "Possibly. At least a small number. What we need to do is confirm how many there are and their objectives."

"Do you think they could be in league with the Space Knights?"

"That's an option, but highly unlikely. The Space Knights have no gain in attacking OZ. They're more focused on the Radham. These tekkamen have been attacking us and the Radham." _However, if they were Space Knights, then we may have a more complicated situation._

___

Medical Hospital

Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian lay in bed, still unconscious from his ordeal. Beside him, his wife and Relena sat beside him.

"Will...will he be alright?" Relena asked

"The doctor says he'll be fine. He just needs his rest."

Just then, the doctor came in, "Mrs. Dorlian, I need to talk to you about your husbands condition."

"Is it serious?"

"Not at all. But there is something you and I should discuss in private."

Mrs. Dorlian nodded, "Relena, could you leave us for a moment?"

Relena was a little confused, but nodded, "Okay, mom."

Relena left the room and next to the window in the reception room. Her mind began to drift back to the entire accident as well as the flash of light she saw and the mysterious boy she encountered. _Was he the one that caused that light? But the only thing I know that does that is...Is he a tekkaman?_ Relena snapped out of her daze and a plan formed.

Next day...

Space Knight C.C.

Yumi found herself walking to the lobby entrance of the command center. The glass tinted doors opened and revealed her visitor, Relena Dorlian.

"Hello Relena. Welcome to the Space Knight Command center. My name is Yumi Francious."

She held out her hand to which Relena took it, "Hello Yumi."

"So, let's start the grand tour."

Yumi showed Relena around the command center. During the tour, Yumi talked about the work of the Space Knights, the tekkamen, and the threat of the Radham.

"You guys do a lot."

"Well, maybe not that much. Usually, the Radham don't attack as much as they did years ago."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, well before they pretty much had the entire Earth run over. We would have become their slaves if not for Tekkaman Blade."

"Tekkaman Blade? I think I've heard of him."

Yumi's eyes lit up, "Of course. He's the legendary white tekkaman that saved the Earth and the colonies. He, along with the Space Knights at the time managed to drive the Radham away. It was him that recreated the Space Knights as well."

"Interesting. Will I be able to meet him?"

Yumi shrugged, "Probably not. He tends to keep to himself mostly so seeing him is rare. Almost like that Heero guy."

"Heero?"

"Oh, he's one of our newest recruits. Heero Yuy."

"Is he a tekkaman?"

"Yes. Well, he's more of a primary body. He hasn't gone through the complete transformation."

"I see. And he's new here."

"Yeah. Him along with four others. They all arrived three days ago."

Three days? The same time as the accident.

"Hey, there he is. Hey Heero!"

Heero continued his work, looking only briefly to the side. However he stopped on seeing Relena.

"Heero. This is Relena Dorlian."

Heero stood up and faced her. His cold eyes revealed no emotion, but she held her ground.

"Nice to meet you, Heero."

"Ms. Relena."

Heero then moved away and left the two alone. Yumi watched him leave and then turned back to Relena.

"I hope you don't mind. He's like that. As though he had some big secret or something."

Relena slightly nodded, "Or something."

_______

Elsewhere, a group of Ares and Leo Sol-Tekkas were traveling across a deserted plain. Ahead of them, more Sol-Tekka was already congregated. Each of the Sol-Tekkas had a Special's insignia on it.

"What is it?"

"Sir, it's a Radham tekkapod."

The leader nearly burst, "A tekkapod? There are many of those since the war."

"We were lucky sir. This one was found through one of our surveillance patrols."

"Let's get it out of here as quickly as possibly."

The suits dove in the crater that was in the ground. When they came back up, each was holding on to a section of the Radham spore pods. But as they lifted the alien weapon, three of the Sol-Tekkas were shot down.

"What the...? Enemy attack!"

Beams of light shot out from a distance away and destroyed two more of the Sol-Tekka suits. The rest managed to fly in on their attacker.

"That's a tekkaman!"

Indeed it was a somewhat bulky looking tekkaman. It was colored in a fiery orange color. But what made it stand out was it weapon. Instead of the normal lancer weapon, it was armed with a strange looking gatling gun. The tekkaman boosted in the air and began firing beams of energy, each one hitting and destroying a Sol-Tekka at a rapid pace. As the Sol-Tekka unit scrambled, the leader called for re-enforcements.

"We need backup! Fighting an unknown tek----"

The leader's suit was completely blown up and his troops followed shortly. The unknown Tekkaman then aimed at the Radham space pods and several Voltekka pods opened up.

"Voltekka!"

Several hundred swarms of energy flew out and shredded the pods, followed by a massive explosion. The tekkaman looked at the damage it had caused and began to ignite its boosters. But above him, a drop-ship appeared and several more Sol-Tekkas appeared.

"Now that you've seen me, I can't let you survive. My mission was to destroy just the Radham pods, but I'll destroy you as well."

With that, the tekkaman flew into battle; a battle accompanied by many laid waste by the gundam tekkaman Heavyarms.

_________

"I hope you enjoyed the tour, Ms. Relena."

"Yes, I did. Thank you Yumi."

"Sure, don't mention it." The two began to walk toward the door, when Heero suddenly came out of an adjourning door and into them.

"Wow." Yumi exclaimed, "No one ever sees you at all and now this is the second time. Must be my lucky day, eh Heero?"

Heero didn't reply and the two women walked past him. As they did, Yumi didn't notice the shocked expression on Relena's face. Yumi managed to look up just as Relena masked it. They stopped in front of Relena's pink limousine. 

"Well, you have a safe trip home, okay?"

"Okay. It was nice to meet you, Yumi."

"Same here. See ya."

Relena stepped into the car and it drove away. However, Relena was still a little shaken. All because of a few whispered words Heero said as they passed by him in the hallway.

_"I'll destroy you."_

__________________

_The attacks continue. As Zechs tries to determine the objectives of the rouge tekkamen, the Radham begin with attacks of their own. The Space Knights move into action and are confronted by a fourth tekkaman. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Desert Peril_


	6. Desert Peril

Disclaimer: Same as always. I do not own any of them

Chap. 5

As Relena leaves, high above them Aki watches her. Her emerald hair bristled in the wind as she drove away. Behind her, Honda approaches her.

"What is it?"

"Why would the daughter of the Vice Foreign minister be interested in the Space Knights? Or more importantly, the tekkamen?"

Honda stood next to her, "Curiosity, perhaps. It wouldn't be unusual for a young girl to want to know more about the Space Knights. Besides, when is that a crime?"

"No, not that. Call it a hunch, but I think she was looking for something."

Honda turned to leave, "Well it doesn't look like she found it." As he walked out, Aki remained where she was at.

_But that won't stop her from looking._

Sahara Desert...

Two jet fighters flew over the sands. David with Hayato as pilot and Natasha with Quatre as pilot.

"So what are we looking for?" Hayato asked.

"You'll know when you see it." Natasha answered. "Just keep a look out."

The two fighters continued to skim over the sands. Then, ahead of them, they saw it.

"Tekkapods."

Suddenly, several objects moved from around the pods. A swarm of Radham came straight at them.

David smirked, "And here I thought this would be easy."

"Can it, David. Let's just go to work. Hayato, Quatre, back us up."

Both boys nodded, "Roger."

"Teksetta!!!!!"

Two beams of light flew out of the two ships. Each one landed on top of their respective carriers in their transformed form.

"Tekkaman Vesna!"

"Tekkaman Sommer!"

The two tekkamen got to work, slashing through the Radham as they fought while the two fighter jets fired their laser beams, adding to the damage. The Radham fought back, but they were no match for them. After destroying a considerable amount...

"Let's finish this, David."

"Way ahead of you."

Both of them opened their voltekka cells.

"Voltekka!!!!!

Both of them fired massive beams of light, destroying both the Radham and the tekkapods below.

"Mission complete."  
  


Hayato suddenly called out, "Wait. I'm picking up a temporal disturbance."

"Same here. A warp hole is opening."

A huge black hole formed before them and a horde of Radham swooped out of it. And even worse, six new shapes appeared before them.

"Oh, no. Radham tekkamen."

Six alien tekkamen accompanied the swarm of Radham and attacked. Vesnar and Sommer were hammered back.

"Don't worry. We're coming."

Hayato and Quatre flew in and fired, but the tekkamen nimbly dodged the fire. Two of them fired their voltekka and the blasts hit Hayato's ship, sending it crashing into Quatre's

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

"Hayato! Quatre!"

The two ships crash landed into the sand and stopped. Quatre forced his way out and pulled out Hayato, who was unconscious. Turning his attention upward, he could see Vesna and Sommer in a fierce battle. Quatre dragged Hayato to the side and opened the comm-link.

"Command Center. We need backup."

Aki's voice came over, "We're on our way. We'll arrive in 5 minutes."

Quatre looked up, _They'll__ never last that long._

Meanwhile, Sommer was rammed by one the Radham. While he was stunned, one of the tekkamen latched a wire to his arm. Then the second one grabbed hold of his leg. Vesna flew in to assist, but she was blocked off by a horde of Radham. She was helpless to help Sommer as he was being stretched out.

"Grrrrraaaahhhhhhh!!!!!"

"David!"

Sudenly, a thin light flashed across one of the tekkamen and it was sliced in half. Sommer managed to get himself out of the wire and move out of the way.

"Thanks Natasha."

"That wasn't me. Look."

Sommer turned his head and was surprised by what he saw. In the air beside him was a yellow and white tekkaman. One of its arms was widened into a shield and in both of his hands were two large, wickedly curved lancers. The tekkaman suddenly jumped up and ran his blade through the next tekkaman, slicing it to pieces. Sommer and Vesna watched as he effortlessly took the Radham down one by one.

"Who is that?"

"I've never seen a tekkaman like that."

The few remaining Radham continued their assault on the new tekkaman. He managed to block the attacks with its shield arm. He was about to restart his assault when a slew of energy beams shot out, blasting the Radham to bits. Turning around, he saw another tekkaman, Tekkaman Heavyarms.

_What? That tekkaman..._

Heavyarms continued his assault, preventing the Radham from taking flight while the first one continued its own attack, hacking down any of them that came close. In no time, all the Radham were destroyed and the two tekkamen were left facing each other

The unknown tekkaman put away his blades, "My name is Sandrock. Who are you?"

The only response was Heavyarms charging toward him. Sandrock was surprised by this and Heavyarms pulled out a short-bladed lancer. Sandrock defended with his shield and wrapped his arm around Heavyarms, locking it and forcing him to drop his lancer. Not giving up, Heavyarms launched his knee at him, but Sandrock continued to hold. Heavyarms then launched his fist but Sandrock managed to catch it, putting them in a locked grip. The two tried to overwhelm the other.

_This isn't right._

Their grip increased and they struggled with each other. Sandrock suddenly began to loosen.

_It's not._

Suddenly, Sandrock's eyes shimmered and glowed. Heavyarms eyes glowed as well and his grip loosed as well.

_"So it's you."_ Heavyarms said telepathically

_"Yes it's me."_

Sandrock turned his head to see the other Space Knights approaching.

_"We'll talk later. Right now, cover your eyes."_

The left arm started to glow and a bright light obscured their view. Sommer and Vesna covered their eyes as the bright light blinded them. When the light faded, the two tekkamen were gone. At the same time, the Blue Earth 2 landed and Yumi, Duo and Anita came out.

"Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, we're okay. We were saved by two other tekkamen."

Duo took in the information. _Two others?__ How many are there besides me?_

"We'll talk about it later. We have to check on Quatre and Hayato."

Meanwhile, by the crashed ships, a glow materialized next to the corner of the ship. A human figure reached inside and quickly put on some clothes. Stepping out, human figure checked on Hayato. _Good. He's going to be alright. That was a close call._

With that, Quatre walked out and waved at the approaching Knights...

_____________

_Zechs__ is able to confirm the possibility of five gundams and takes steps to find the fifth one before it attacks. Meanwhile the Space Knights wonder about the new tekkamen and encounter the fifth one. However, the situation is more than it seems. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Five Gundams Confirmed._

__


	7. Five Gundams Confirmed

Disclaimer: I don't own either Gundam Wing or Tekkaman Blade II. Hey, I think I've said this before.

Chap. 6

"And that's what happened."

The four Knights returned after their mission and told the Chief everything that happened. After hearing this, she sat back in thought. _Hmm.__ These reports of mysterious tekkamen, they began occurring the day after... these five arrived. But I don't sense anything from them beyond what a primary body shows. But perhaps..._

"Chief?"

"Thank you. I'll let you know our course of action later. Right now, all knights are to be put on stand-by alert in case."

"Roger."

After they left, Aki then remembered something else. _It may be possible that Ms. Dorlian may know something about this. This won't be the last of it._

___

Meanwhile, outside a Specials training base, a lone figure stands on a hill overlooking it. His communicator beeps and he shuts it off. The figure then lifts his hand and a crystal forms.

"Tek-setta."

The figure shimmers in a bright light and shoots straight at the base.

___

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The officer in charge came up, "Have you identified the enemy?"

"Not yet...wait. It's coming up on screen."

The screen cleared up and showed a red and green figure striding toward the base.

"It's a gundam!"

The tekkaman was holding a long spear-like lancer in its left hand. Its right arm was shaped just like a dragon's head. It gave no regard to anything as it simply walked toward them.

"Get all Sol-Tekkas ready for combat at once. And alert Lieutenant Noin."

__

Meanwhile, the Space Knights were alerted to the HQ and assembled in the command room.

"Space Knights, another tekkaman has appeared. We must leave immediately if we are to catch it. Yumi, David, Natasha, you three will meet this one. Hayato, Goliathe, Anita, you will pilot. Dead, you and Duo will remain as backup in case this tekkaman shows heavy resistance. The rest of you will be on standby in the Blue Earth."

"Yes Chief."

It was then that Yumi looked around and noticed, "Where's Wufei?"

The others looked as well and didn't see him anywhere. Aki shrugged it off, "We'll worry about him later. Right now, we have to go."

"Roger."

Yet, Aki thought to herself. _It looks like it's just as I suspected._

Meanwhile, the Sol-Tekkas flew out to meet this mysterious tekkaman and stop him. But nothing was able to bring it down as it met every encounter with deadly force, bringing each Sol-tekka down with its lancer and continuing on. It had just reached the base when the Blue Earth and the fighter ships arrived. The tekkaman turned to them.

_Perhaps now, I will find a worthy adversary._

The fighter jets swoop over the base and began to circle back.

"Teksetta!!!!!"

The three teens went through their transformation and landed back on their respective carriers.

"Tekkaman Hiver!"

"Tekkaman Vesna!"

"Tekkaman Sommer!"

All three of them leaped off and face the unknown tekkaman. It didn't budge.

"Are you strong?"

That surprised them, "What?"

The tekkaman repeated, "Are you strong?"

David stepped a little closer, "We don't know what you're talking about."

"No answer? Fine then."

Suddenly, the tekkaman lunged at them. They all got set, but the tekkaman brushed right past them, knocking them to the ground. They arose just to see him come back again. Vesna shot herself at him and they clashed in the air.

"Out of my way. I don't fight women."

The tekkaman reared back and knocked her to the ground. At the same time, Sommer came from the side, but the tekkaman was ready for it and blocked the strike. The two tekkamen held their ground for awhile before swooping through the air, exchanging blows. Sommer then tossed his lancer, but the unknown tekkaman managed to catch it and fling it back at Sommer. Sommer dodged his own weapon and was left open when the tekkaman rammed him into the ground. Sommer was hurt and slowly lifted himself up but the tekaman kicked him back down.

"Are there no strong opponents?" He wondered out loud.

Suddenly, he was rammed to the side and flipped over. Looking at his attacker, it was none other than tekkaman Hiver.

"You just don't get it yet, do you?"

Hiver charged at him and their blades clashed. To his surprise, she showed more power than the other two. But it still wasn't enough and he managed to fly forward and ram her into the facility's wall.

"Weaklings! All of you! I don't have time for this."

The tekkaman grabbed Hiver and tossed her over to her comrades. Then he shot into the air, his dragon arm glowing with energy.

"Voltek...."

Suddenly, a shot rang out and hit him square on. Although he wasn't damaged, he tekkaman did stop gathering energy for the voltekka and landed on the ground. Surrounding him were dozens of Leo and Aries Sol-Tekkas, each one aiming at him. One of them, an Aries type, stood up front.

"Unknown tekkaman. Surrender at once."

"I am Tekkaman Shenlong. And I don't surrender to OZ."

With that, he charged…

_The Tekkaman, Shenlong has decided to fight out in the open and has revealed the identity of OZ. But with little known about him, will the Space Knights join the Specials or will more identities be revealed? Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Deciding Vote._


	8. Deciding Vote

Disclaimer: The same as before

Chap. 7

Shenlong continued his assault on the Sol-Tekkas, leaving behind the fallen Space Knights. Sommer struggled to rise, but was too weak and fell back down. Man, he's strong. How can we stop that? 

Inside the base, orders were being thrown around in order to stop Shenlong. It was then that a dark haired woman walked in, her hair covering over one of her eye slightly.

"What's the situation?"

One of the officers turned and answered her, "Lieutenant Noin, the enemy has breached our first wave of defense. Our second wave is fighting now, but they aren't faring well."

_He's after the Taurus space Sol-Tekka suits. Zechs was right after all._

"Alright, I want you to have our forces move the enemy within the base zone, but not close to the base itself. I'll take care of it from there."

With that, Noin ran out and into the hanger bay where her Ares Sol-Tekka suit was waiting. She jumped into her Sol-Tekka and closed it behind her.

"Where is the enemy now?"

"The target is a couple of kilometers outside the base zone and moving in. Our forces won't be able to hold him for long."

 "Have the laser cannon prepped and ready."

"The laser cannon? But it can't be fully charged on the Earth."

"It doesn't matter. I just need one shot."

The Ares activated and moved to a hatch leading outside. On the side a large panel opened, holding a large laser cannon weapon. Noin grabbed it and shot out. Due to the weight of the cannon, the suit was a little slow. Nevertheless, Noin went around the zone of the battle and landed down. She then activated the cannon and sat in position. _All I have to do now is wait._

Meanwhile, Shenlong continued to fight, unaware that Noin had set up her attack. _This is too easy._ He moved in toward the base and gotten within her line of sight. He saw a gleam of metal sparkle and he saw too late the cannon locked on him. She clutched the trigger and was about to fire when…

"I'll get you!"

One of the Leo Sol-Tekka's suddenly moved right into Noin's line of fire and grappled with Shenlong. _Damn it!_ She held her fire, not wanting to kill one of her own men. Unfortunately, Shenlong noticed this.

"Too soft."

Shenlong suddenly wheeled the Sol-Tekka off and instantly shot toward Noin. Noin fired, but Shenlong easily dodged the blast and slashed down, damaging her Sol-Tekka. Shenlong looked down at her.

"You should have finished me when you had the chance. You're a weak soldier. I don't fight bleeding hearts or women."

He then moved away and resumed his attack, while Noin was stuck inside, trying to move the Sol-Tekka with the controls.

"Come on, move!"

____

Meanwhile above, the lone carrier hold Dead watched the battle, unsure as to what to do. Duo watched from inside. _He's attacking an OZ facility. That means he's a gundam too. But should I attack?_

"Duo, take me down."

Duo's attention snapped, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll stop him."

Duo looked back and shrugged. Oh well. Guess there's no way around it.

"Let's…"

"No. Leave him to me."

A blue object flew above them, carrying a red figure on top. Dead and Duo held their position. _Well this should be interesting_, Dead mused to himself

Meanwhile, Shenlong finished the last of the OZ forces and again powers his voltekka. But before he could, another tekkaman confronts him. A red tekkaman...

_Another woman.__ I don't have time for this._

The red tekkaman doesn't answer. Instead, she opened her lancer and attacked. Shenlong is surprised by the ferocity of the tekkaman and fights back. The two of them clashed in the air and Shenlong can't find a way to defeat her. That plus the fact that he's been drained from the previous fights is working against him. _Damn, I can't stay and fight for long. And since she's a Space Knight, I can't actually harm her._ He then sees the carrier holding the Taurus Sol-Tekka suits. _Guess we'll have to cut this fight short._

Shenlong leaped out of the way of her next strike and powered his voltekka a third time. This time though, he was able to gather the energy and aim it at the carrier.

Voltekka!!!!'

A fiery red beam shot out and smashed into the plane, destroying it. His mission completed, Shenlong shot off into the air, leaving the battered Knights and the few surviving Sol-Tekka suits. Aki sees this and looks at the wreckage. _So his target was the carrier._  She looked up at him. _But why?_

_"We'll meet again."_

_____

The Knights had returned to their base and reported themselves to the infirmary. Although they were battered and bruised, their injures weren't serious.

 "Who was that guy?"

Natasha rubbed her shoulder, "I don't know. All I do know is that he packs a serious punch."

David spoke up, "I don't think we had that kind of trouble since we fought you, Dead." He looked over at Dead, who made no indication of any sort.

Anita leaned back on the wall, "Do you think he's Radham?"

Natasha answered, "I don't think so. By the way he fought, he's definitely human."

"And this isn't the only one. There are more out there."

Duo, Quatre, Heero and Trowa were silent, but they all had questions of their own. Duo and Quatre were both thinking along the lines of _'How many more gundams are there? I thought I was the only one.'_ Trowa and Heero didn't seem to care, so long as they stayed out of their way.

Meanwhile, the Chief sat quietly in her office, deep in thought about the powerful tekkaman. She was fortunate that he was weakened as he was. She wasn't sure she would have been able to fight him at full power.

_Why would a tekkaman want to destroy a military carrier? What were they holding? And what is OZ? I'm going to have to check back there for some answers._

"You wanted to se me, Chief?"

Aki looked up at Wufei, who had just entered her office. _Perhaps I can get some from him._

"Where were you during the attack?"

"Working."

Aki didn't blink, "You were supposed to report back here when we signaled everyone."

Wufei kept his gaze, "I was too far away. The chief engineer had me ship some engine components from another base. By the time I returned, everyone had left."

Aki nodded. Honda did send him on that assignment. If it is him, that's the perfect alibi. _I can't accuse him of something without definite proof._

"Thank you, Wufei. You may go."

Wufei quietly left and Aki was once again by herself.

_I should check this in with D-Boy._

_____

Just outside…

Relena was returning home from school. Her father was still in the hospital so she decided to visit him before going home. The route to the hospital goes right by the Space Knight Command Center but at the moment, Relena wasn't interested. She just wanted to see if her father was okay. Passing by it, she looked out of the window. Her eyes drifted for awhile before it locked onto a familiar person.

_Is that…Heero?_

Relena watched at the young boy jumped onto a motorcycle and took off. Relena turned her head to watch and made a choice.

"Pagan, could you follow that motorcycle please?"

The elderly man looked and saw the cycle and the boy on it. He smiled. _How sweet._

"As you wish, Miss Relena."

The pink limo turned and followed the motorcycle. Because of its speed, Heero was far away from them as he rode. Pagan was still able to track him, but kept his distance. They followed him all the way to a secluded road area.

"Stop here."

The limo stopped and Relena stepped out. The motorcycle was a good distance away on the floor, minus its rider. Relena walked into the woods and looked around for Heero. _Why am I doing this?_ She continued to walk. _I'm getting all riled up over a boy. But there's something about him._ Her foot hit a tree root and she nearly fell, but regained her balance. _This is stupid. I'm not some silly child. Besides, I have other things to worry about._

She was about to turn back when she heard a low rustling. Turning to it, she looked out and saw Heero, still holding the bag near a cliff. Below him, a military base was stationed a good distance away. _Why is he here? Is he a soldier? No, that can't be right. He's a Space Knight._ She continued to watch Heero lowered the bag and put it in a nearby bush. He then moved to the edge of the cliff and he suddenly jumped off. Relena was surprised and a crystal formed in Heero's hand.

"Tek-setta."

Heero's body glowed and he shot upward into the sky. As he did, his body began to change and transform. Armor plates formed inside the crystalline energy and it shattered revealing Heero in a new form.

"Wing Tekkaman."

Relena gasped. So it was him. She watched as the armored warrior flew straight into the base below. A second later, a large explosion shocks the area. Wing Tekkaman swooped through the base, catching it completely off-guard and showing no signs of slowing down in his assault. With his sword lancer in hand, Wing completely took out the bases laser cannon defenses. A few minutes later, several Targos Sol-Tekkas came out and fired their heavy quantum energy cannons. However, they couldn't match speed with the deadly tekkaman.

"Too slow."

Wing reeled around and struck down the first group with his lancer. In doing so, he caused the other to panic slightly and become disorganized. Wing tossed his lancer at one, impaling it and snapped his wire onto it. Landing on the ground, he flung the lancer around, destroying anyone foolish enough to get caught. The Sol-Tekkas began to retreat back into their base, but that soon proved to be a mistake as Wing took to the air once again and extended his arm. A cannon-like protrusion formed and glowed.

"Voltekka."

A beam of yellow light flew down and completely destroyed the base, leaving it in flames. The tekkaman surveyed the damage and laughed.

"Mission complete."

By the sidelines, Relena watched in complete shock. _How could he do something like that? What kind of person is he?_ Wing hovered down and landed by the bush he started at. A brief glow surrounded him and he reverted back to normal. He then reached for his bag and put on the clothes that were inside. Relena nodded to herself and turned to leave without alerting attention, but she misplaced her footing and landed hard on the ground, causing her to moan involuntarily.

"Ufff!"

She quickly picked herself up, hoping that Heero hadn't heard her and moved away. She turned around to make sure, but didn't hear any sounds of pursuit. _I guess he didn't hear me._ Unfortunately, she turned back around and gasped. Before her was Heero, fully dressed and standing in her way.

_And he was holding a gun on her..._

_______

_Now that Relena knows Heero's secret, he will stop at nothing to destroy her. However, OZ also wants to see her dead along with her father. With his dying breath, Minister Dorlian reveals Relena's own secret. Next on Gundam Tekkaman, Relena's secret._


	9. Relena's Secret

Disclaimer:

Chap. 

"Heero."

"Relena."

The two teens stood face to face with each other. Heero was holding a gun up to Relena. Relena was terrified, but kept herself from screaming. They stood there silently with no sound passing between them, as though time itself had stopped. Heero began to squeeze the trigger...

Beep, beep.

It came from Heero's communicator. The Space Knights were calling him in. Heero looked back at Relena. He could kill her there easily. But if he did, then it would take him a much longer time to report in to HQ. He couldn't risk that just yet. This will have to wait. Heero lowered the gun and quickly disappeared into the forest, leaving a now confused Relena behind. Relena walked out of the woods just to see Heero ride away on his motorcycle. And again, the question echoed within her head.

Just who are you, Heero?

One week later...

Alliance HQ

"Are you certain?"

"Yes. Various military installments have been attacked worldwide. All of them by these tekkamen."  
  


"You've arrived." A femmine figure appeared at the doorway and walked inside, revealing to be Aki. Noventa turned to her, "Perhaps you can shed some light on these attacks. What are we dealing with here?"

Aki nodded, "Well, we have encountered at least three of these tekkamen and there have been reports of two more, totaling five."

"Five of these things?"

"Yes sir. Also, we've discovered that their armor is made of a type of alloy, gundamium."

"Yes. The Specials reported the same thing. That is the other reason why we called you here."

"Oh."

Noventa stood up to her, "We'd like for the Space Knights and the military to work together on this one in order to stop them. Will you do so?"

Aki shook her head, "I'm afraid that will not be possible. It is our policy not to work in any joint ventures with the military so as to not risk disruption."

General Septum scoffed, "Hmph, if you ask me, I think you were afraid of these things."

"On the contrary, my group is working for ways to stop them. So far, they have been attacking only military facilities."

Septum folded his arms, "So as long they don't bother you, it's okay."

Aki didn't flinch, "The Space Knights have only one mission, to stop the Radham. These tekkamen are not Radham. They are human beings. If there is a way to stop them without fighting then...

"If they are gundam, then they could have only come from one place. The colonies."

"I don't think it would be wise to jump to conclusions."

"And I don't think this is the right place for you. For all we know, you've rejected our offer because you are in fact harboring them. Well?"

"That's enough." Noventa called out. He then turned to Aki, "As bad as it may sound, the colonies are the only place they could have come from. And if they are not Radham, then they are human, which means they were created by someone. This is all speculation though so to make sure of it, we're sending Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian to ascertain it. Is this alright with you?"

"Yes."

Septum glared, "Why are you asking her? She's not even part of the alliance."

"The Space Knights are responsible for saving this planet more than once. A hearing ear isn't too much compared to what they've done."

"...Very well."

"Aki, I hope you reconsider. A joint operation could be fruitful."

"Thank you. But my decision stands. It's better this way."

Noventa nodded, "Well then good luck to you."

"You too."

____

Unknown location…

"We are open to move ahead with our objective. I've already set in motion to dispose of Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian."

Trieze relaxes in his bath while Lady Une stands nearby giving him the report. A smirk grows on his face.

"Now that the Alliance is occupied with the gundams, there is no one to watch over the minister. It's a shame actually."

"What about the Space Knights?"

"The Knights won't interfere with the military. Their job is to stop the Radham and they will stick to that. For now, they are no threat."

"And the gundams?"

"In time Lady. In time."

____

The next day, Minister Dorlian took a shuttle to the colonies. Relena decided to accompany him again so she went along.

"I still can't believe that they would have you work a few days after you gotten out of the hospital."

"It's the way things are. You didn't have to come you know."

"And have no one to take care of you. No way."

Dorlian smiled at his daughter, but the smile quickly vanished when Lady Une strode up to him at his seat.

"I hope this will be a productive trip for you."

Dorlian stayed silent, as though he didn't hear her.

"There's nothing wrong with a little socializing, is there?"

Dorlian's eyes shifted, "I can't imagine anything appropriate to say to a Specials officer."

Une frowned, "Pretty nasty words. I'm just here on orders from my superiors."

Dorlian disregarded her altogether and focused his attention on Relena. "Relena, look down at the Earth." From where they were, Earth was like a shinning blue marble in space. 

"Never forget how beautiful the Earth looks from afar."

Relena looked at him questioningly, but didn't say anything. As that happened, Lady Une took her seat and whispered to herself.

"Get a good look because you'll never see it again."

The trip was long, but Dorlian had no more encounters with Lady Une or any of her subordinates. They had arrived safely to Colony L1 and met with the representatives. They adjourned at one of the central buildings to discuss the recent events on Earth, particularly the gundams. As they did, Relena decided to go out shopping. She walked over to the meeting room just to see Lady Une leave. She knocked on the door.

"Yes."

"Father. I'm going out to do a little shopping."

"Alright. Be careful, dear."

"I'll call an escort."

Relena smiled, "Don't worry about it. It's a lot safer here than it is on the Earth."

Relena was about to leave when she noticed Lady Une's pocket case, "Oh. She forgot it."

Meanwhile, Lady Une waited outside with a group of OZ soldiers. She looked at her watch. Ten more seconds.

At that moment, Relna came out of the building and handed her the pocket case. "Uh excuse me. You forgot this."

Lady Une looked shocked, "You idiot!"

She grabbed the device and threw it toward the window of the meeting room. It crashed through and before anyone could find out what it was, the device exploded, destroying the room. Relena looked up in shock

"Oh god, father!"

Relena quickly ran back in the building as Lady Une rose up from the floor

"That was a close one. Go after the girl and kill her if she resists."

Relena entered the room and looked around for her father. She found him on the floor, wounded with blood coming down from his shoulder. Suddenly, a group of five men barged into the room, three of them holding guns. Relena moved closer to her father as one of them came over to them. The man checked Dorlian's pulse and grabbed his hand. Dorlian's eyes slowly opened

"Is Dorlian alright?"

"Yeah, but he's wounded. We got to get him out of here."

"Who are you guys?"

"Let's just say we're here to help." He looked over to the others who revealed that there were no other survivors. He helped Dorlian up and grabbed Relena's hand. "We'll get you out of here."

Just then a group of OZ soldier bust through the wrecked door. They noticed the men holding Dorlian and began firing. The men ran for cover and fired back, causing the OZ soldiers to duck back behind the wall. Another man then opened the side door leading out and with Dolian and Relena in tow they rushed out of the building. The group went down the stairs and headed down an alley. But the OZ soldiers caught up with them and began firing, forcing them to duck behind the dumpsters. While they fought, Relena moved over to her father.

"Stay still. You're bleeding."

Dorlian sat up to loook at her, "Relena, I must tell you something. It will be difficult, but you must understand."

"Huh?"

He face turned away, "The truth is that...I'm not your biological father."

"What are you saying?"

"Your real name is Relena Peacecraft. You are the daughter of the Peacecraft monarchy of the Sank Kingdom. When it was destroyed, I took you in as my daughter in order to save you."

Relena grasped his hand, "That's...not true."

"Please. It is true. But you must be careful now. You must watch out for the OZ organization. You...uggghhhhh."

"Father."

The three OZ soldiers continued to fire on the group, but they were several outnumbered and unable the stop them for long.

"Alright. We'll hold them off. Get Dorlian and his daughter out of here."

One of the men moved over to the two of them and prepared to go when he was suddenly gunned down before them. Luckily, Relena and Dorlian ducked back before the new gunfire hit them, but now they were trapped again.

"What the...they brought a Sol-tekka?"

The Leo Soltekka began firing its machine guns, causing the rebels to duck behind the wall. Relena screamed as the soldiers and the Sol-Tekka came toward them, preventing them from reaching the van.

"We're trapped."

Dorlian then began to rise up slowly, much to the surprise of the others, especially Relena.

"Father?"

"Relena...You will make it. Tek-setta."

Dorlian suddenly began to shimmer with energy and a small field formed. Everyone backed away as Dorlian transformed in a tekkaman primary body. Dorlian turned to Relena one last time.

"Goodbye, Relena."

Before any of them could react, Dorlian swiftly jumped out from behind the wall and rushed at the Soltekka. Catching the Sol-tekka off-guard, Dorlian grappled the Sol-tekka. He then started to flash again, more wildly this time.

"He's going to self destruct! Let's get out of here!"

"No, wait!"

One of the men grabbed her and carried her into the van. They jumped inside and the vehicle took off. Dorlian managed to get a glimpse of his adopted daughter. Good, she's safe. I have fulfilled my promise, King Peacecraft. She will live.

KABOOOOMMM!!!!!

Dorlian exploded in a ball of energy, taking the Sol-tekka and the two of the soldiers along with it. The surviving one managed to dive around the building and away as the explosion destroyed the nearby building.

FATHER!!!!

_________________

_After her father's death, Relena demands some answers and meets the mysterious Dr. J. She is informed of Heero's powers and sent back to Earth. However, when the Radham attack, Relena is once again rescued, but her savior is not Heero. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: The White Tekkaman._

________________

AN: I have no idea how the primary bodies transform, so I'm assuming they do it the same way as full tekkamen. Getting interesting? Please let me know.


	10. The White Tekkaman

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or Tekkaman Blade II. But then again, you knew that already.

____________

**Shadow Sonic**- _Thank you for saying so. I also have another crossover with Dragonball Z and Street Fighter. If you want, you can check that out._

**Reactor VoltekkerIII**- _It's funny that you asked that. (See end of chapter)_

**Rayver**** 25**- _You'll just have to wait and see._

___________

Time to continue…

Chap. 9

"Father!"

Relena awoke on a cot in a dimly lit room. She took deep breaths as she recalled what had happened. _The bomb...Lady Une...gunfire...her father...Peacecraft...explosion...oh my god! _

So you're awake."

Relena turned to the side to see the group of men that had rescued her. They were gathered around the TV which was currently on the news. On it, Lady Une was talking to a group of reporters.

"Lady Une, any report on the assassination of Vice Minister Dorlian?"

"I'm currently investigating the situation now. But I've confirmed that a group of terrorist is responsible. If this is the response of the colonies as a whole, then we'll have to take military action."

One of the men threw down the remote, "Damn, they're making us out to be a bunch of terrorists."

Frustrated, Relena yelled out, "That's just what you are! You left my father behind to die!"

The guy turned to explain, but the first one held him back, "We're sorry for your loss. If we had gotten there sooner, we might have been able to prevent this."

Relena lowered her gaze and suddenly pushed the man back, grabbing his gun. She pointed it at them.

"I'll get revenge for this. It's OZ, isn't it. OZ is responsible for the death of my father!"

The rest of the men grouped before her, "Calm down. Don't do anything foolish. You'll only get yourself killed."

"I don't care if I am killed." Grief, anguish and anger all streaked on her face. Yet though all of that torment, she managed to whisper one name.

"Heero."

"Did you say Heero?"

Surprised by the new voice, Relena change her gaze, allowing the other s to grab her and take the gun away from her. Yet Relena focused her attention on the direction of the voice.

"Are you talking about Heero Yuy?"

Standing there was a short, elderly man wearing glasses. One of his hands was a robotic claw that opened and closed repeatedly.

"Do you know him? Do you know Heero Yuy?"

The man smiled, "Welcome Ms. Dorlian. Call me Dr. J."

_________

OZ HQ...

"That was quite the performance by Lady Une."

Zechs and Noin were currently watching the report on the death of Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian and the disappearance of Relena.

"What do you think happened to Minister Dorlian?"

"I believe he was destroyed." He looked at the screen which had zoomed in on Relena.

"Poor girl."

Noin turned to look at him, "You're still worried, aren't you?"

Zechs stood up, "Hm? Worried about what?" Having said that, he walked away. Noin looked at him sadly.

"Open up, Zechs. You're hiding way too many secrets."

____________

Space Knights HQ

Some of the Knights were watching the same thing and had their own thoughts.

"Hey, it's that the girl that visited earlier?" Hayato commented.

Anita nodded, "Yeah, that's her."

Yumi gave a sad look, "That's just awful. I hope she's okay."

Unknown to them, another figure was also watching the same program. The shadow stood up from the seat and walked out a hidden door...

_________

Shuttlecraft. Destination: Earth.

Relena sat half-asleep in her seat. Dr. J had managed to get her a port where she could return to Earth safely. During the trip there, he had told her about OZ, the unrest of the colonies. He was part of a rebel group that fought against OZ, the secret organization that manipulated the Alliance. Heero's mission was to stop and destroy all of OZ before they take total control of the Earth Sphere. Relena closed her eyes. She was extremely exhausted, yet could not bring herself to sleep fully. Her entire world had been turned upside-down. Her father, OZ, Peacecraft, Dr. J, Heero. She began to remember Dr. J's warning to her about him.

_But he is very dedicated to his work. Stay away from him...if you value your life._

At this point, she didn't know what to think about anything. All she wanted to do was get home. She could think about all of this later. Relena looked outside the window. She saw the Earth loom in the distance.

_"Never forget how beautiful the Earth looks from afar..."_

_Father._ Tears began to well up in her eyes, but that stopped when she saw ripples for in the blackness of space. She watched as she saw objects fly out of the ripples and discovered what they were.

"Radham!"

Indeed, Radham forces had materialized before them and began attacking the Space Ring. A fierce firefight occurred as the Ring's defenses activated and fired back. But they were no match for the Radham as they began to overwhelm them. As if things couldn't get worse, a group of the fleet turned and headed toward the shuttle.

"Attention. All passengers are to buckle yourselves in. Radham attack. This is not a drill. I repeat this is not a drill."

The other passengers panicky buckled themselves in as the Radham began their attack. The alien monsters gripped themselves onto the hull of the ship. The pilot tried to shake them off, but it was futile as they began to tear it apart. One of them came near to the passenger section and in front of Relena's window. Relena gasped and tried to move away, but was no use as she was tied to her seat. The creature roared and began to charge at the section. Relena closed her eyes, but suddenly the roar changed into a sickening gurgle. Relena slowly opened her eyes and saw the creature explode. But what was more surprising was the figure standing behind it.

_Heero__?___

The light faded more and was revealed to be a white tekkaman.

_No, it's not. Who is that?_

The white tekkaman gazed in her direction briefly and his eyes flashed green. He then shot up in a green flash of light and swooped at the attacking Radham. They all vaporized in flashes of light as the tekkaman destroyed large amounts of them in one swoop. By the end of four swoops, all of the Radham were completely wiped out. Once they were all destroyed, the white tekkaman turned to Earth and shot down, disappearing in the atmosphere. Relena watched with amazement. _A white tekkaman._ The shuttle, though shaken, was relatively undamaged. And as it started its own descent onto Earth, Relena thought about what she saw. _Could that have been the one Yumi was taking about? Was that...Tekkaman Blade?_

_______

_Relena__ has safely returned home, but now her life will never be the same. Meanwhile, Deathscythe goes on another mission, but encounters another tekkaman also bearing the name of death. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: The Walking Dead._

________


	11. The Walking Dead

Disclaimer: Same as always

Chap. 10

Relena has finally arrived to her house. As the limo pulled in, groups of reporters crowded the front and asked questions, mostly about the hostile situation with the colonies. Relena shook her head. How can they say such things? They have no idea that father had been assassinated.

Inside, Mrs. Dorlian was in her late husband's study. She wandered over to the table and picked up a pen. A pen...he will never write with again. Shutting her eyes, she held the pen close to her chest. She barely heard the door creak open behind her.

"I'm finally home mother."

Mrs. Dorlian turned to her and put down the pen, "Relena."

Relena's head was down, "I'm sorry. I wasn't able to protect father."

Mrs. Dorlian walked over to daughter, "I'm just glad you weren't hurt. I know something like this would happen someday."

Relena's head stayed down and she walked over to the table. The memory of what her father said came back to her.

_-Your real name is Relena Peacecraft. You are the daughter of the Peacecraft monarchy of the __Sank__Kingdom__.-_

As if almost to pick up on her thoughts, Mrs. Dorlian asked, "Did he say anything before he died?"

Relena picked up the pen and looked over to the side, "No, he didn't say much of anything.

Mrs. Dorlian closed her eyes, "Relena, I have something to tell..."

Relena suddenly ran over and gave her a tight embrace, "Mother. You're my real mother!"

Mrs Dorlian was surprised at first and then gently hugged her daughter back.

"Relena."

______

Military antiquities museum

Zechs entered the old building along with another soldier, who was leading the way. They both entered a darkened room where all sorts of old weapons were stored. Another soldier stood before him.

"So what is it that you have to show me?"

The soldier turned to him and gave a short salute before answering, "Well, when you made a request for another machine, I found this during my search."

Zechs looked up past him and stood amazed. Before him was a large, white Sol-tekka suit. It was incomplete, but it still showed a certain power and grace.

"What is this?"

"This is the prototype Sol-Tekka, Tallgeese."

Zechs examined the suit, "It's huge."

The soldier went on to explain, "When they began developing mass produced Sol-Tekkas, they needed a blueprint. The first two prototypes were destroyed in the first Radham war, so they had to start again. When they finished, this is what was created. This Sol-Tekka was designed to be powerful enough to face a tekkaman in battle. But when the tekkaman technology was created, this was no longer necessary and thus it was used to make the standard Sol-Tekkas we use today."

"So you're saying that this machine could possibly stand up to a gundam. Why was it never used?"

"We'll its power output and size makes it dangerous for a pilot to use, not to mention expensive to maintain. And since it exceeded the Alliance's needs, it wasn't replicated and was just kept here in as a museum artifact."

Zechs nodded, "I see. Well then it's time to see what it can do. How long until it can be completed?"

The soldier looked surprised and then answered, "At least a week sir."

Zechs turned to leave, "Keep me informed."

______

Nightfall…

Outside in the middle of a cemetery, Dead End strode through the tombstones. David had asked if he wanted some company, but Dead refused. Even though David was his best and probably only friend, there were times were he just wanted to be by himself. Dead walked until he reached the top of a hill. Once there, he sat on one of the tombstones and took out a harmonica. Playing to himself, he almost missed the tiny streak of light in the sky. Stopping his tune, he looked up and watched it. It went by as a blur, but Dead was able to make out some parts, mostly a darkly armored arm and body. _A tekkaman?_ Dead thought. _It's not any of the others. It must be a gundam._ Dead started running after it and he pulled out his knife...

___

"Has anyone seen Duo around?"

Yumi had walked into the training room, looking for Duo. Wufei snorted, "Why would you be looking for that baka?"

David answered, "Last I saw, he checked out of here. Said something about being invited to a party."

Goliathe shook his head, "I'm starting to think that guy won't take anything seriously."

___

High in the skies above, the tekkaman Deathscythe flew silently to his next target. He hoped that he would destroy the base and leave without losing too much time. With the reports of tekkamen flying around, he didn't want to be the one to get caught. With any luck, he'll be in and out before anyone knew what happened.

Luck just wasn't with him tonight...

"I'm afraid I can't let you go any further."

Deathscythe stopped and turned. There behind him was another dark tekkaman, bearing a large sword-lancer.

"Well, if it isn't Dead End. I've always wanted to meet you."

"Well, I see my reputation precedes me. And just who are you?"

"The name's Deathscythe. I'm the god of death."

"Deathscythe, huh? Fitting name. And as for your last remark, that remains to be seen."

"We'll see about that."

Pulling out his scythe lancer, Deathscythe lunged at Dead. Dead blocked the strike and boosted back. He attacked again and Dead suddenly vanished. He reappeared behind Deathscythe and flew at him. To his surprise, Deathscythe also vanished as well. Dead turned to see if he was behind him, but there was no trace. Dead suddenly saw a few ripples and blocked the incoming strike as Deathscythe suddenly reappeared out of thin air. The two tekkamen held that position before backing away. Deathscythe chuckled.

"Man. I gotta say, you're pretty tough."

"Oh, I haven't even started yet."

Now it was Dead's turn to lunge at Deathscythe, sword clashing against the scythe and pushing him back slightly. Dead then fired energy beams from his arms, causing Deathscythe to back away further. Dead charged one final time, slamming Deathscythe into the ground. Dead hovered in the air as he looked down and then caught a glimpse of light.

"My turn!"

Suddenly, a spinning beam object flew straight at Dead. Dead barely dodged it at the drill shield ripped straight through his shoulder armor. Luckily, it didn't hit any vital point, but Dead was still injured. He looked up just to see Deathscythe bearing down on him, scythe raised up high. Dead blocked, but the force of the shock still caused him to falter back. Deathscythe then spin around with another attack and Dead blocked, but with more effort than before. Deciding to add to the pressure, Deathscythe held the hold and kicked forward, knocking Dead back. A second later, Deathscythe charged again and struck down, holding Dead in place on the ground. Dead struggled with him and then his eyes flickered. Dead suddenly shot forward, surprising Deathscythe and hurling him back. Deathscythe watched as Dead, now engulfed in energy, soared straight into the sky and turn around. Like an attacking raptor, he swooped down on Deathscythe and the shock slammed Deathscythe back more. However, Deathscythe caught his footing and hovered in the air. Dead was coming at him again and Deathscythe gripped his weapon. Dead came closer and Deathscythe swiftly hurled the scythe at Dead. Dead couldn't stop as the weapon flew straight at him and knocked him out of his charge. Dead barely managed to recover and avoid hitting the ground as Deathscythe retrieved his weapon. They faced off again when flashes of light caught heir attention. In the distance, the military base appeared to be on full alert and a group of Sol-tekkas were heading toward them. _They must have seen the battle,_ Dead thought to himself. Deathscythe grimaced. He knew now that he would never be able to attack. The entire base was alert and on their way. And to top it off, Dead End was too strong to just brush through. _I guess this mission's a failure._

"Seems like the two of us have a draw. Catch ya later."

Deathscythe suddenly shot back and flew away. Dead was about to chase him when he suddenly shimmered and faded in the night sky. Dead growled to himself and looked at the approaching Sol-tekkas. _He couldn't allow them to find him there._ Glowing with energy, Dead shot up and flew away.

______________

So...have the preparations been set?

Everything is ready according to plan. The conference is set in four days.

I heard that you lost Dorlian's daughter. That's not like you.

My apologizes. I'm still working on it.

In that case, I'll leave that to you.

Yes, sir.

____________

Meanwhile in a secluded part of the Command Center, Deathscythe reappeared on the ground and looked around.  Seeing no one in sight, he began to shimmer with energy and materialize into a human form. The glow faded, revealing the clothes-less Duo. Grabbing a bag he set in a corner in advance, Duo quickly put the clothes on. _I gotta find a better way to do this. It'll be one heck of a report if I get caught with no clothes on._ Duo finished dressing and stood up, but a suddenly click caught his attention. Duo slowly put his hands up and turned to face Heero who had a gun pointed at him. Oddly enough, Duo grinned.

"I knew it. You're the tekkaman that I saw earlier."

Heero said nothing, merely raising his gun.

"Let me guess. You were sent by the colonies to fight against OZ, correct?"

"........."

"Seems like we're both on the same side, eh Heero?"

Heero narrowed his eyes, but slowly he lowered his gun and put it away. Duo continued to grin.

"Hey, you know. I bet those other three are tekkamen too, don't you think?"

Heero didn't reply and just walked away. Duo shrugged to himself and left as well. But both of them were unaware of the pair of eyes that were watching them. A pair of eyes accompanied...by orange hair.

_________________

_As the youngsters continue their missions, their identities become even closer to being discovered. During another appearance by a gundam, Quatre is forced into a position between keeping his identity secret and saving a friend. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Closing In._


	12. Closing In

Disclaimer: You know the drill

Chap. 11

"So what the emergency Chief?"

All of the Space Knights assembled in the briefing room. Aki sat in her usual seat and motioned to the monitor.

"We have detected a fleet of Radham that is on course straight to the Earth. The fleet is not large in size, so risk battling them will be low."

So, we have an easy mission for once." David joked

"There's no purpose in fighting a weak opponent." Wufei countered.

Aki continued, "Not quite. We've also detected a second wave coming in from the opposite end of the Earth. Due to its considerable size, we believe that is the main fleet."

Natasha looked closely at the monitor, "So the first is a decoy?"

"No and yes. Although not as powerful, the first group can do considerable damage to the Earth if it gets close enough. We can not allow either fleet to reach Earth. Therefore, you will be divided into teams. Each team's purpose is to destroy its designated fleet. Yumi, you and David will take the main fleet while Natasha and Dead handle the first one."

"But dividing our forces like that will pose a significant problem."

The comment came from Trowa, which surprised everyone. Aside from Heero and Dead, Trowa spoke the least out of everyone

Hayato turned to him, "Hey, are you saying we can't handle it?"

Aki cut him off, "He's right. That is why two of you will be piloting one of these.  These Sol-tekka suits were constructed here, so they're not military issue. Each pilot will back up a group to assist in the battle. That should be enough to take down both groups. Wufei, you and Quatre will pilot the Sol-Tekkas. The rest of you will monitor things from below. Heero, you will pilot Dead."

Duo put his hands on the back of his head, "Great, I get the desk job for once."

"Don't take this lightly. We must be kept informed to the Radhams movements in case they have something else up their sleeve. The operation will commence in 5 hours. Wufei, Quatre, you will stay and learn the operations of the machines. They're not like the standard Sol-Tekkas, so you'll need the practice."

Wufei and Quatre responded, "Yes chief."

"Dismsssed."

_____

_4 hours, 50 minutes later_

"Hey Dead. How are ya?"

Duo was visiting Dead in the hanger deck. Dead was standing outside on the wall, not moving or responding.

"........."

Duo leaned on the wall nest to him, "Well, I won't be up there with you. So I guess you'll have to handle yourself this time."

"I have a pilot."

"You mean Heero? No offense to the guy, but he speaks about as much as you."

"You should take a lesson from him."

Ha! Was that a joke? I must be rubbing off on you. Come on, don't look so glum."

"Attention, Space Knights. Operation commencing in 5 minutes. Take your stations immediately."

Duo straightened up, "Oh, well. I better get going. So I guess I'll catch ya later."

As Duo turned, Dead's eyes widened with realization and then a faint smirk appeared.

_Hmm. You shouldn't use the same lines over again, Duo. Or is it Deathscythe?_

The Knights launched out into space together before separating on their missions. The first group headed toward the moon where they were to intercept the Radham. Quatre suited up in the Sol-Tekka and launched out, flying next to Dead and Heero. As they flew, speckles form in the space before them and soon those speckles became monstrous creatures.

Goliate announced, "Here they come."

Natasha added, "Let's do this."

Natasha and Dead grasped their Tekka-set crystals and raised them up.

"Tek-Setta!"

Two beams of light shot out of the transports and rematerialized in their alternate armored warrior forms.

"Tekkaman Vesna!"

"Tekkaman Dead!"

The two tekkamen sprang into action, with Dead taking the lead in the assault. He swooped through them in a flare of light and vaporized any that came near him. Meanwhile, Vesna was doing her own share of damage with her lancer while Quatre covered her with the quantum energy rifle. The Radham were being destroyed left and right, but they continued to attack.

"This is getting out of hand. There's not supposed to be this many."

Meanwhile in headquarters, the remaining ones were monitoring the battle.

"Chief, there's something wrong here." Vesna called in. "It seems the first wave had been hiding its numbers. There's twice as many here."

They gotten smarter. Aki quickly stood up. "Duo, come with me. Vesna, we're on our way."

"Roger."

The two of them ran for the docking bay to the Blue Earth 2. Yet during their rush, they hadn't noticed that Trowa was missing.

The battle raged. Dead, Vesna, and Quatre continued to fight, but the numbers were against them. Ont of the Radham got through and attacked Dead. But Quatre rushed in and stopped the alien creature, but not before receiving some damage of his own.

"One of my boosters has been damaged."

Another score of Radham came at him and he fired on them, taking many down, but unable to hit the others. They had come in range when a swarm of energy flew out of nowhere and destroyed them. Quatre turned to see his savior.

_Trowa._

The orange gundam began its assault as it sent a hail of energy projectile at the approaching Radham. The Radham exploded with each shot, yet their numbers continued to increase. As the others fought, the Radham began to separate the Knights from the Gundam. Heavyarms was still holding his own, until flashes of light caught his attention.

"I guess they decided to take me seriously."

Approaching was a squad of Radham tekkamen, all flying toward him at full speed. Heavyarms fired the first round, but they dodged the fire. Heavyarms quickly re-aimed and fired again, destroying two and injuring four other. However, they continued to come at him. Meanwhile Quatre struggled with the controls, but the single booster wasn't enough. And he still wasn't in range to fire. And Vesna and Dead are too far away. _I can't reach him. Not like this. But maybe..._ The tekka-set crystal formed in his hand. _But I can't reveal myself to the others. There must be a way to save Trowa._

The Radham tekkamen encircled Heavyarms and continued attacking. The beams began to diminish in power an eventually stopped altogether. Heavyarms showed signs of fatigue and the Radham charged in for the kill. Quatre grasped his crystal.

"Tek-set...!"

A burst of energy suddenly flew out and wiping out the Radham attacking Heavyarms. Quatre cut himself off as he watched a blue and red form swooped into the battlefield.

"Chief!"

The scarlet tekkaman continued her assault as she leaped off Pegus and brought her lancer down on the Radham, one-by-one with sheer brutality. It was then that Dead, Vesna, and Quatre managed to get through and join her. The three tekkamen fought valiantly as Heavyarms recovered and joined in. Within minutes, all Radham were destroyed, leaving them with the mysterious tekkaman.

"Identify yourself."

Heavyarms didn't reply, rather his shoulder cells opened and charged.

"Voltekka."

Several beams of energy flew out in various directions. Pegus quickly ignited its boosters and flew, dodging the beams. But Aki noticed something strange. _I don't get it. Why use a Voltekka like this at close range?_ It was then that she turned and saw the reason. The gundam was heading for the Earth and was too far away. _A distraction. It was a distraction to escape._

Vesna watched him disappear, "Hmph. So much for gratitude."

The Knights regrouped aboard the Blue Earth 2. Meanwhile, as his Sol-tekka was being picked up, Quatre gave a small sigh of relief and his tekka-set crystal faded away. _That was too close. But we can't keep this up forever._ He looked down at the Earth. _What does the future hold for us gundams?_

_Trieze is now ready to take the future by its reins. With a vast military power at his disposal, he launches Operation Daybreak by using the Gundams as puppets. Even worse is that in doing so reveals their identities to the Space Knights, who must now confront them. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Scenario of Bloodshed._


	13. Scenerio of Bloodshed

Disclaimer: The same as before

Chap 12

"Mission accepted."

Heero closed his laptop and grabbed his jacket. Opening his dorm, he made sure the coast was clear before dashing through the hall and quietly slipping out of the HQ. Grabbing a jeep, Heero had just started the engine when he was greeted by a familiar voice.

Hey, Heero. Off for a drive?

"........."

"Good. I could use the lift too." Duo jumped in, much to Heero's dismay. Duo relaxed himself in his seat as Heero glared at him, but drove anyway. Since his mission isn't in the way of his, then it didn't matter whether he came or not. As he drove, Duo stretched his arms out and put them behind his head.

"Apparently, we're heading to the same party. New Edwards."

Heero didn't turn to look at him. "This mission is really big. I don't think you get it."

Duo's grin remained, "You beat I do. This is the chance to finally stop the OZ organization."

The monotone voice came back, "This time will be different. We're going to destroy every OZ leader."

Duo closed his eyes briefly, "Then I go back to space." He then opened it and looked back at the fading Space Knight HQ. "Too bad though. I kinda liked it there. Being a Space Knight and all."

"Then don't come. I'll handle it myself."

Duo turned back at him, "And let you have all the fun? No way."

________

"Hey. Fancy us getting on the same transport."

Quatre was boarding a land transport heading to the town near to New Edwards. It just so happen that Trowa was also boarding the same transport. Trowa gave him a blank glance.

"I'm doing this alone."

Quatre smiled, "So am I. But what if we help each other?"

"Don't think so." was the quick reply.

Quatre followed him to his seat. "Two's always better than one."

Trowa didn't respond as he sat down with Quatre sitting next to him. For a while, both boys stayed quiet. Then Quatre muttered to himself.

"Ah well. I was nice while it lasted." He then turned to Trowa, "Are you going to miss being a Space Knight?"

"No."

Quatre turned away, "I see. Well, I guess stopping OZ is more important than my own feelings."

_______

In the New Edwards base, a gathering had been called for all the members of the Alliance to discuss the current issues. Leading these peace talks would be Marshall Noventa, joined by General Septum and many others, including Trieze Khzurenada. However, Trieze has secret manipulated the details of the information, stating that this was instead a meeting of top OZ officials.

"Let us see what course the future will take."

Lady Une stood beside him, "It'll take whatever direction you want it."

"It is up to the Alliance to decide whether my plans will come into light."

Inside the building, the meeting began quickly as Noventa began with talks about disarming their weapons. Suffice to say, General Septum, who was in charge of the main military force, was not entirely pleased with this idea.

"Are you saying we should reduce the forces?"

"That would only be the start. Our ultimate goal is unilateral demilitarization. Once that is done, we can create a clear dialogue with the colonies."

Septum nearly stood out of his seat, "But you can't be serious. The Radham still remain a threat to us. And now there are there is the even bigger threat of the gundam tekkamen created by the colonies. They pose an even bigger threat than the Radham." He focused on Trieze, who was seated nearby, "What do the Specials say about this?"

Trieze answered, "We believe they have been created for purely destructive purposes."

Septum nodded and slightly relaxed back into his chair. Lady Une whispered, "What now?"

"Now all we need is an actor. Someone who speaks out the feelings of the entire Alliance."

Noventa continued, "It's only natural to feel shaken by all these events. But we mustn't let these things stop us. As far as the Radham are concerned, the Space Knights are more equipped to deal with them than anyone else."

Septum cut in, "Let's say that you're right about that. That still leaves the gundams to deal with."

Noventa responded, "Once the colonies see that we only want peace, they will have no use for such creatures. Let's talk. I'm sure we can find our way once again."

The entire assembly clapped their hands in approval to this. Trieze glanced at everyone.

"I thought so. The future is heading in the wrong direction."

Lady Une held the transmitter, "Shall we begin?"

"No. Let's wait for the final actors to arrive."

"Next, we will discuss..." Noventa suddenly stopped as the alarms of the base began to sound. "What's going on here?"

A soldier came up on the view-screen behind him, "We're under attack!" The screen then switched to the outside where it showed Tekkaman Wing fly in on the base.

"It's them."

_______

The battle began instantly as the Wing Tekkaman swooped in a slashed down on the first group of Sol-Tekkas. He was soon joined by Tekkaman Deathscythe, who finished them off. Looking out, they saw the numerous amounts of Sol-Tekkas of many different varieties.

Deathscythe growled as his scythe razed down two Sol-Tekkas, "There are a lot more here than we thought."

Wing brought his lancer down on another Sol-Tekka, "Ten times more."

To make matters worse, a shimmer appeared just above them, releasing a horde of Radham monsters. Nevertheless, both Tekkamen continued to fight, destroying Sol-Tekka and Radham alike.

Deathscythe mumbled, "Oh, this is just great. Now the Radham are attacking too?"

Wing ripped through a Radham, "A minor complication, but that doesn't affect the mission."

Deathsycthe looked at his partner, who showed no signs of slowing down or stopping. _This guy is too much._ "Well there's no turning back now." With that, he jetted to his next target.

______

_Space Knight HQ_

The remaining Knights were immediately called into the briefing room. Aki was there waiting as she gave out their mission. They were to stop the Radham attack at New Edwards as well as the gundams that appeared there. As she told them, it was painfully obvious that many of the others were missing.

"Hey, Chief. Where are the others?"

"You'll be briefed on the way. But we have to move out now."

___________

As the chaos and destruction of the military, the Radham and the gundams continued, many inside the base began to panic. Trieze was not one of them.

"Lady, the actors are all here. I believe it's time to raise the curtain."

"Right."

_Mombassa Area_

"We've received orders to commence Operation Daybreak."

Inside his Sol-Tekka, Zechs gave the order, "Roger. All units descend now."

With that, scores of Sol-tekka were launched and fell from the sky like dark hail.

__________

_The Blue Earth 2_

"Are you saying they were the gundams?"

Aki had revealed to them the truth about the five newcomers, "We believe that they used the Space Knights as a cover for their own agendas."

"What agenda?" David asked

"I am uncertain. But it appears to be focused on the Earth military or more better yet, the Specials military force."

Natasha growled, "Those traitors. When I get my hands on them..."

Aki cut her off, "That can wait. Right now, there are also Radham in the area. We'll deal with them first and then worry about the gundams."

Nobody noticed that Yumi hadn't said a single word throughout the exchange, or the worried look on her face.

___________

Deathscythe cut down yet another Sol-Tekka, but was rammed in the back by a Radham. Angrily, Duo spun around and cut the creature down.

"This is crazy. Two enemies at once. Huh?"

Suddenly, the sky began to fill with light. Wing and Deathscythe moved just as beams of light fell from the sky and blasted the entire area, wiping out a good portion of the Radham and Specials. Wing looked up at the explosion.

_A Voltekka?___

On the nearby hill, Tekkamen Heavyarms and Sandrock stood, watching the destruction. Heavyarm's Voltekka cells closed up.

"Because you're all bunched up."

Seeing another group coming at them, Heavyarms shot through the air and began firing, energy beam bring down whoever came at him. A few Specials tried to move in on him, but were blocked by Sandrock.

"Please surrender and I'll spare you're lives."

However, his warning went on deaf ears as the Sol-Tekkas fired on him. Saying nothing more, Sandrock dove in and sliced them with his lancers. Meanwhile, Heavyarms was still applying pressure, destroying his enemies left and right. Their actions, however did not go unnoticed by the other gundams

Deathscythe remarked, "This is just too good to be true."

He had no idea how right he was.

______________

As the battle raged, The Blue Earth 2 flew overhead.

"Remember, deal with the Radham first before engaging the gundams."

"Roger."

Three ships separated from the Blue Earth and out into the battlefield. Also, two other objects dropped out as well. All the Space Knights called forth their powers.

"Tek-Setta!!!"

"Pegasus. Tek-Setta!!!"

Four beams of light carried the sky and formed into their armored forms.

"Tekkaman Hiver!"

"Tekkaman Vesna!"

"Tekkaman Sommer!"

"Tekkaman Dead!"

Meanwhile, the flying robot, Pegasus ejected Aki, now clad in her scarlet tekka-form.

The Space Knights swooped down instantly and attacked the Radham. The gundams watched them, unsure of their motives.

"I don't get it? Are they on our side?" Deathscythe asked.

Sandrock shook his head, "No. They're attacking only the Radham."

Trowa continued fighting, "As long as they stay out of my way."

As they all fought, none of them realized that around the world, Alliance military bases were being taken over by the Specials in a coup de tat. At the New Edwards base, Trieze has arranged for the pacifist leaders to escape one of his shuttles. As the shuttle took off, Wing immediately identified it.

"That's it!"

Wasting no time, Wing shot into the air, leaving the others to battle on their own. As the shuttle reached altitude…

"Marshall!"

Noventa looked out to see the red and blue tekkaman shoot pass the shuttle and directly in front of it. Putting away the lancer, his arm stretched out and the Voltekka cannon appeared.

"Now young man. Don't be foolish."

Wing fire a yellow bolt of energy, engulfing the shuttle and causing it to explode. Wing laughed at the scene.

"Mission complete."

Meanwhile, in another shuttle, Septum watched the entire event in horror.

"What have they done? Marshall Noventa."

Meanwhile, the Radham as well as the military, was completely destroyed, leaving only the gundams and the Space Knights in confrontation. For a while, neither of them moved a muscle.

"You guys fell for it after all. This entire battle was meaningless."

Everyone blinked as the fifth tekkaman landed in between them. At that time, Wing had just returned.

"What do you mean?"

Shenlong turned to the gundams, "You've just been lured into OZ's devious little trap." He looked straight at Wing, "You just wiped out the Alliance's pacifists."

"That's impossibl..."

Just then, an announcement came over all the broadcast of the world. It was General Septum.

"This is the colonies act of war against us. We were discussing peace talks when they sent their tekkamen and assassinated the leader of these talks, Field Marshall Noventa." A tape then played of Wing destroying the shuttle. "I repeat. This was a brutal attack against the Earth. But we will never yield to the colonies. We must fight them to the bitter end."

The message ended, shocking both gundams and Space Knights alike. Shenlong continued, "This was all set up by Trieze Khzrenada, leader of the Special. He set us up like puppets and we fell for it." He turned and began to walk away, "But I'm not going to stop. I will fight OZ, even if I have to do it alone.

Behind him, a devastated Wing clenched his fist tightly. _What have I...what have I done?_

And now, the war truly begins...

___________

_OZ has now taken center stage and Lady Une first assignment is to destroy the gundams. She plans on destroying the New Edwards base in order to get the gundams while Heavyarms and Shenlong go after Trieze. But it is Wufei's blade that corners Trieze. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: The Trieze Assassination._


	14. The Trieze Assassination

Disclaimer: The same as before. See previous chapters.

Chap. 13

_New Edwards base._

_(Deathscythe) I can't believe this. We were set up._

_(Sandrock) We completely failed in this mission._

_(Aki) Noventa. No._

_(Sommer) What will happen now?_

_(Hiver) How terrible._

_(Vesna) All of those people...dead._

Vesna gripped her lancer and suddenly charged at Wing. Wing didn't move as she smashed her fist in his face. As Wing lay there, Vesna stood over him, lancer pointed down at his throat.

"This is all your fault!"

Wing remained still as Vesna trembled with anger, he lancer inching closer to his neck. Sandrock came forward, but made no move to attack.

"Hey wait. We were tricked. We didn't know about this."

Vesna glared up and pointed her lancer at him. "Do you think that's an excuse?"

Sommer came in between them, "That's enough, Natasha. There's nothing to be gained by fighting here."

Shenlong shook his head at the scene, "He's right. We have to pick our battles." He then turned around. "I'm going for Trieze."

"Hey, wait..."

The dragon tekkaman ignored the call and shot through the air in the direction of the Trieze's shuttle, followed by Heavyarms. Deathscythe watched them fly away and called to the others.

"Come on, let's go. We can still catch him."

Sandrock helped Wing to his feet, "That's not wise. Our battle up until this point were to hit them when they least expect it. But they have the advantage now. It is wiser to wait."

"Wiser? I'll show you wiser!"

Deathscythe lashed his lancer scythe toward Sandrock. Sandrock merely stared down the serrated weapon.

"Do you really want to kill me?"

Deathscythe didn't move for a moment and then lowered his weapon, "I guess not. Huh?"

In the distance, they could see another army of Sol-Tekkas approaching them. Rounds of fire came at them.

"What? How many more are there?"

Sandrock looks at them as well, "We have to retreat."

Deathscythe and Sandrock dashed away from the fire, but Wing didn't budge as the fire hit him.

"Hey, Heero. Get out of the way."

"......."

As Wing took the torrent of fire and the other two gundams fought, the Space Knights watched.

Aki ordered, "We must go."

Hiver turned to her, "But Chief. We can't just leave them behind."

"We can't do anything for them now. They are on their own."

Vesna growled, "But we can't leave it like this after what they did."

"No choice. Now fall back."

"But Chief...!"

"Fall back, Natasha!" Aki rarely ever spoke in such a deadly tone and Natasha saw that she was not in the mood for an argument. Reluctantly, Vesna, along with Hiver, Sommer, Dead, and Aki all flew away into the sky and away from the battle, leaving the gundams behind.

__

Elsewhere, Treize had exited his shuttle and was now on his private cruiser, surrounded by several battleships. He was currently listening to Lady Une's report on the coup de tat and their progress.

"We now have 68% percent control of all military bases worldwide. The remaining few will be taken before the week is out."

"That's good work."

"What shall we do about the gundams? They are still at the New Edwards Base."

Trieze answered, "I'll leave that to you."

A dark smile formed on her lips and she saluted, "Sir!"

__

Meanwhile, unaware of the current situation and the plans against them, Sandrock and Deathscythe continue to fight to escape while Wing stood there motionless and taking the fire.

Deathscythe yelled as he slashed down another Sol-Tekka, "Come on buddy, move. Or you could at least give us a hand."

Wing didn't respond or move. A cannon beam hit him directly and he slammed into the ground. However, he still didn't move. He just lay there on the ground.

"Attention gundams. You're in danger."

"Huh?"

The voice came from a loudspeaker in the nearby base. Looking at the control booth, they saw a blond-haired woman standing there holding the speaker.

"Detonation devices have been set up to destroy you, along with this entire base."

"What?" Sandrock exclaimed

"Well if that's true, then let's get out of here." Deathscythe suggested.

"Please, I need your help. I need you to deactivate the device. It's in the bunker below you. I can't reach it, but you can shut it down."

"Hey lady, why should we…?"

"Mission accepted."

"What?"

They both turned, surprised to see Wing Gundam suddenly arise and take to the air. Taking out his lancer, he dove straight into the low bunker doors and into the missile silo.  Looking around quickly, he found the main detonation device. Switching back to human, Heero crawler through the access port and shut it down, just as the counter said 00:03. Crawling back out, he grabbed a technician's leftover clothes and walked out.

_What a miserable mission. I screwed up._

____

The fleet of ships sailed in tight formation. As they drove on, a sparkle of light appeared in the sky. It was followed by a torrent of energy beams.

"We're under attack! It's a gundam."

The orange tekkaman landed on one of the ships and instantly began it's attack, causing vast amount of damage as he demolished one ship after another.

Lady Une ordered from the command ship, "Send all available units."

The deck bays opened, revealing Cancer and Pisces Sol-Tekka units, designed for fighting in the water. But they had never faces an opponent like the Heavyarms and they were destroyed. During the fire fight, five of the ships moved away from the fleet, keeping one in the middle.

"It has to be that one. No question."

Suddenly, another light appeared in the sky, revealing a hidden Shenlong.

"It's another one. This one is heading straight for Trieze's ship."

"What?"

The dragon tekkaman quickly boarded one of the surrounding ships and trashed it, destroying the Sol-Tekkas before they were even mobile. Meanwhile, one of the Cancer Sol-Tekkas managed to knock Heavyarms into the water where several others awaited. But even in their own terrain, they were no match for the heavily armed tekkaman.

___

"Is it ready?"

"Yes. And with this extra option, it should fly like an Aries."

"Good, as long as I can reach him."

Shenlong finished his assault on the nearby ships, singling out Treize's. He sees it pulling away from the rest of the fleet.

_It has to be that one._ He glances at his lancer. _Let's go, Nataku._

Shenlong was about to fly at the ship when he suddenly hears a rushing sound behind him. Turning, he was tackled by a Leo Sol-Tekka with two giant boosters. The Sol-Tekka dropped the booster and stood over the tekkaman with its own saber-lancer.

"Going somewhere, gundam? You're not getting one step closer to Trieze."

Shenlong jumped up, "Nobody's going to stop me. Even you!"

The Sol-Tekka charged and struck down on Shenlong. Shenlong raised the weapon to block, but the attack was a feint and Une switched the weapons path, striking down on the right shoulder. Shenlong stepped back and Une continued the assault.

"Die!"

Her saber came down again, pinning the gundam down.

"I must say, for a woman, you use that thing impressively. But…"

Shenlong suddenly rushed upward, knocking her back. She raised her weapon, but Shenlong spun the lancer and sliced of the mechanical hand and sword. In a rage, Une punch him, but he stood there unfazed.

"As I said, you can't stop me. Step aside."

Suddenly, the ship Shenlong had been chasing honked its horn, signaling him. Shenlong looked as the ship reverse course and came toward them.

"Lady Une. Leave him to me."

"Mr. Trieze?"

Shenlong ignored her and shot toward the ship. He landed on the top where Trieze stood. Trieze simply waited for him, a sword in his hand.

"I accept your challenge." Shenlong glowed and was replaced with his human form. His hand still held the lancer, only now it had changed into a sword, "My name is Wufei."

"Trieze Khuzrenada."

Their swords crossed and Wufei charged. Trieze simply backed away and block the boy's strikes. Trieze then slashed out and Wufei leapt up, his feet hitting the ceiling and causing him to shoot down in a slicing attack. However in the last minute, Trieze sidestepped the attack and twirled his sword to meet Wufei's neck. Wufei was unable to get away and he realized he lost.

"Finish it."

Trieze regards the boy and then removes his sword.

"It was a good fight."

Wufei warned him, "If you don't, I come back to get you."

"I hope so. I'll look forward to dueling with you again."

Wufei growls, but silently transforms and leaves the ship. Heavyarms has finished fighting the remaining Sol-Tekkas and emerges out of the water to see Shenlong flying away.

"Have you completed your mission?"

Shenlong says nothing as he suddenly curved and dives into the sea.

"I see. Let's just drop it."

__

_Unknown __Alliance__ Base.___

"Thank you for helping me out."

"No problem. But are you sure that was the right thing to do?"

"An old friend asked for a favor. I owe him. All of them actually."

"They must be good friends."

"Sure are, Sally."

"Well, I better get going. Things are going to get hot out there."

"Yeah. I have some work to do myself. Be careful out there."

"Same to you, Fera. Or should I be calling you Milla now?

"Fera will do for now."

__________________

_OZ continues its domination of the Earth. While the gundams are shattered all over, Zechs uses the Tallgeese Sol-Tekka. However, the suit may be more than what he can handle as he seeks to reclaim his hometown, the __Sank__Kingdom__. Next on Gundam Tekkaman- Portrait of a Fallen Country._


	15. Portrait of a Ruined Country

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chap. 14

_Specials base, outside the __Sank____Kingdom___

Zechs stood in the command tower, looking at the city. _His hometown._ It was battle-worn, but still in good shape. Noin entered the command room from behind him and gave him the report. 

"The city's been showing heavy resistance. It's not going to be easy to penetrate their defenses."

Zechs reviewed the data, "Their main offense appears to be the laser cannons on their main base. All we have to do is take those out."

Noin looked out of the window beside him. "That's going to be tough."

Another officer came in from behind them, "Lt. Zechs. We have an emergency. A swarm of Radham is approaching our area rapidly."

Zechs turned halfway, "Have the Space Knights detected them?"

The soldier was a little surprised, but answered, "Yes. They are fifteen minutes away from us."

Noin now turned, "That's still too long."

Zechs agreed, "Right. And I don't think they would appreciate fighting just to save us. Have units five and six ready for battle. I will be leading them."

The soldier saluted and left to carry out his orders. Zechs left a few minutes later, but Noin eyed him and followed him into a corridor, "You're going to use the Tallgeese, aren't you?"

"Consider this a trial run."

"But you haven't even had a test run with it yet."

Zechs turned his head to her, a half grin under his masked face, "I'll take it easy, but you know I'll take my chances with this suit."

With that, Zechs continued into the hanger bay. Before him was the Tallgeese Sol-Tekka. The suit was at least 50% larger than the Leo Sol-Tekkas nearby. It glistened in the light in an ivory white and equipped with a new system quantum cannon and large venier boosters. Zechs looked over his new suit, seeing the power as well as the speed and grace within it.

_This is going to be tough_

__

The Specials had gathered in a small line, awaiting the Radham attack. The two squads consisted mostly of Leo Sol-Tekkas, with three Aries and the Tallgeese in the lead. Several dots appeared in the sky and they began to come in closer. The Radham swarmed toward city, straight at them.

"Unit six, provide cover fire. Unit five, you're with me." _This is it._

The Tallgeese's boosters opened and the white Sol-Tekka shot toward the Radham at high speed. Zechs had to strain with the controls just to keep it in control. The Radham came up to him sooner than expected, but Zechs was ready. Pointing the cannon, he fired two bolts of incredible energy, wiping out a large number of Radham. Some of them made it through and attacked. Zechs changed the direction and the Tallgeese changed according, flying at the same speed. The stress pressed down on Zechs and he gritted his teeth in pain. However, he remained in control and continued fighting, destroying the Radham in seconds. By the time his unit had reached him, many of the Radham were destroyed. They all looked in shock as the Tallgeese swooped, dove, and charged at intense speeds.

"Look at that."

Tekkaman Sommer, Hiver and Vesna arrived at the battlefield. However, their services didn't seem to be needed as they watched the Tallgeese in action.

"Look at him go."

The Tallgeese swivled again and blasted another group. Then, twisting around again, it fired, destroying the last of the Radham.

"I don't believe it. Not even we can move that fast."

"What does this mean?"

Tallgeese hovered in the air for a moment before falling to the ground. The unit Sol-Tekka flew to him, but Tallgeese didn't move.

"Lt. Zechs? Lt. Zechs, respond. Get him back to base immediately."

___

_Space Knights HQ, Hidden Chamber_

"So much has changed so quickly."

"Yes. The team is getting tense. Also, they reported that OZ has a new Sol-Tekka."

"I see. We will stick to the Radham. For now, it is too dangerous to try anything."

"And the gundams?"

"They will be fine. They...are a necessary part of the times to come."

"Why must humans always war with each other? Why must we be so foolish?"

"It is our nature."

___

"Hey, have any of you guys seen Yumi around?"

Hayato had entered the lounge area where David and Dead were playing chess while Anita and Natasha were talking to each other after they returned from their 'mission'.

David answered, "No. We haven't seen her."

Hayato looked down, "Nobody's seen her all day."

Anita looked over, "You don't think she did something reckless, do you?"

Natasha frowned, "It wouldn't be the first time."

__

_Special's base, infirmary_

Noin entered the infirmary where Zechs lay, conscious but with a respirator around his neck. Noin stood next to him.

"I really underestimated the Tallgeese. That Sol-Tekka is far more powerful than indicated."

"How powerful?"

"Well, due to the output, I'm sure that if mastered it could very well take on a tekkaman."

Noin's eyes widened, "No way. Are you serious?"

Zechs looked forward, "That suit may be the key to defeat the gundams." He began to sit up from the bed, "But I need to get used to it, to learn how to use its capabilities."

Noin held him down, "Are you kidding? You barely survived the battle today. You have to stay and rest."

"No. We still have to retake the Sank Kingdom."

Noin continued to hold him, "The Sank Kingdom will still be there tomorrow. Get some rest first. The last thing we need is you killing yourself simply for being too stubborn."

Zech looked up at her through his mask and slowly lay back down. Truthfully, he didn't feel like he could walk, much less fly the Tallgeese. And convincing Noin would be impossible at this point anyway.

"Fine then. We'll resume our attack tomorrow."

Noin saluted, "Yes sir."

"How about the Space Knights?"

"Well, they were surprised to say the least."

_I see. Perhaps..._

___

_The next day..._

Zechs began to enter the Sol-Tekka once again. Although he wasn't 100%, he felt that he was still capable to fly out in battle again. Noin stopped by on her way to her Aries Sol-Tekka to talk with him.

"Is there any way I can change your mind?"

"I have to do this." The half-grin came up again, "Think of it this way. If I die, you'll be the new ace pilot."

She frowned, "That is not even remotely funny Zechs."

His grin disappeared, "I wasn't kidding."

__

"A mobile suit force is approaching. It looks like it's the Specials."

The commander looked at the view-screen and saw the oncoming attackers.

"Deploy mobile suits. Ready the beam cannons."

The Specials came close to the outskirts of the town. But before they could get any closer, swarms of high energy beam flailed out, destroying a few of the Sol-Tekkas. Tallgeese and the other Sol-Tekka managed to dodge the fire, but unable to get any closer to the city

_No. I will not let this beat me!_

In a seeming rage, Tallgeese shot toward the base at top speed.

"Zechs!"

Zechs ignored the call and continued to gain speed. The laser fired at him bounced off of him as he reached dangerous speeds. His caution was overridden by his drive to master the machine and reclaim the kingdom. Zechs could feel the immense pressure against him, but he kept going. The turbulence shook the interior of the suit, causing his body to shake. A short necklace popped out of his jacket, revealing a little crystal on the end of it. The crystal glowed briefly as Zechs got close to the base. Then in one fluid motion, Tallgeese veered to the side, with the cannons in front of him. Shooting one blast, the cannons all exploded by both the explosion of the energy and the shockwave of the speed of the Tallgeese. The Specials behind him all looked in shock

"How? With only one pass?"

Noin was the first to shake it off, "All units. Move in now!"

The fighting in the city continued. But without the laser cannons, the military in the city was quickly overtaken. Not giving up, the commander launched a full assault the Specials. But the act was utterly futile as the Specials overwhelmed them. To top it off, they had to deal with the powerful Tallgeese.

____

"Keep them out. Don't let a single one through!"

However, his plans went dead as a bolt flashed out and destroyed his entire troop. The command Leo fell down and the smoke before him cleared to reveal the massive white Sol-Tekka.

"I agree that your security here was splendid. But you relied on your laser cannons too much. A fatal mistake."

The commander's surprised voice came over, "Zechs Marquise?"

"So you do recognize me after all. You were cautious around me during the Alliance days, so I knew you were able to tell me apart from the other people."

The Leo struggled to rise, to get away, "Please. It wasn't my idea to attack the Sank Kingdom. Those were my orders from the entire Alliance."

Tallgeese raised its cannon slightly, "You were afraid of the Sank Kingdom because you saw it as a threat to your power. At the time, the kingdom didn't want to be joined in with the Alliance and it was a brick-stone for other countries that felt the same. But it was your idea to attack it in order to increase your own military rank since it had a great influence over the surrounding nations. In fact, you personally lead the attack. To top it off, the Radham attacked what was left over and you used them as a cover, claiming that they were responsible for its destruction. But you and I know better than that. I was there." Zechs voice became angry, "I had to watch my father die in one of the Radham pods, rejected because he wasn't strong enough to survive the process."

The commander backed away in realization, "No. Millardo Peacecraft."

Panicked, the commander raised the Leo's beam rifle. But he couldn't so much as react as the Tallgeese blasted him into oblivion.

"May you rest in peace. The betrayed and outraged Millardo Peacecraft."

It was then that behind him, Noin and her squad of Aries came behind him. Upon seeing the wreckage of the commander Sol-Tekka, Noin remained silent.

"Have all units converse on the city and set up base." Zechs ordered. "I'll join with you shortly."

Saying nothing else, Tallgeese walked down the street of his former hometown, heading toward the castle of the Sank Kingdom.

__

_Castle..._

The lone figure of Zechs Marquise strode into the hallway. He walked through the castle's hallways, heading toward the grand hall before him. The years had not dulled him memory of the place, nor had the leftover shreds of Radham pods made him forget his own nightmares. He finally stopped before a massive picture. The face of an elderly man was there, seeming to look down at him. Slowly, Zechs removed his grey mask and placing it on the table, revealing his face. His clear eyes looked up at the picture.

"Father, please forgive your son. There has been much bloodshed along the way back here and I have only been able to live a live that counters your teachings of peace." He looked down at his hands with disdain, "My hands are too stained with blood. I am no longer fit to claim the Peacecraft monarchy." His eyes dropped low to the ground and fell upon a small picture frame. Lifting it up, he saw a picture of a little girl, smiling.

"But I'm sure she will rule in the way you intended. I will fight to make that happen." He placed the frame on the table beside his helmet and bowed his head, "I have failed you. Please forgive me."

With those final words, he lifted up his mask, placed it back on his head and walked out of the castle, a place that used to be his home.

____________

_So much has happened._ Relena thought to herself as she sat in her room. The gundams, OZ, the Space Knights, and that mysterious white tekkaman. Sooner or later, these things will come back to me. _I think it's time I found some answers._ With her mission in mind, she arose and left the house, going to the only place she could think of to find the answers. _The Space Knights._

________

_Lady Une continued to focus on her target, the gundams. She sets up bait in order to destroy the gundams. But in a last ditch effort to save the colonies, Heero makes a deadly sacrifice. Next on Gundam Tekkaman- Heero, Distracted by defeat._


	16. Heero, Destracted by Defeat

Disclaimer: I don't have to say it. You already know

Chap. 15

_OZ HQ_

Zechs had been requested to meet up with Trieze following the victory over the Sank Kingdom. Zechs enter to room where Trieze was currently residing.

"By now, you must have a better grasp of things, eh Lightning Baron. Or should I call you Lightning Count."

"Your Excellency, I wish to stay in your service a bit longer."

"That would please me. But are you sure?"

"I have one last thing to take care of."

"The gundams." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, sir."

"In that case, do as you wish."

"Thank you." Zechs turned to walk away, but Trieze wasn't quite finished with him yet.

"Oh, Zechs. Won't you be taking that mask off? Now that you've succeeded in your revenge, there's no need for it anymore."

Zechs turned his head to the side, "My personal hatred still accompanies me in battle. Think of this as my mark of distinction."

Trieze nodded, "Of course. You are a true soldier which is why I can trust you with anything..." A grin came up over his face, "Millardo Peacecraft."

"That name...please don't."

"I wait for the day when you remove that mask of yours, Zechs"

"Yes, sir."

___

A large crowd of OZ soldiers were gathered before Lady Une, who was in charge of the briefing for their next mission.

"Your mission is to escort the Taurus Advanced Sol-Tekkas through their transport routes. Once done, OZ can be able to launch them into space."

Noin gave a slight frown, "Why was I not told of this?"

Lady Une looked at her coldly, "Our lack of confidence in the Victorian base has lead to this transfer."

"Hmph." was all Noin could get out. Une continued.

"So far, there have been no problems in the plans, but OZ is taking no chances. The enemy won't get their way this time."

"You mean those gundam tekkamen?" one of the other soldiers spoke out.

"They possess the greatest threat. But our defeats have only been because cowardly soldiers lapsed in compiling their data. But this time, OZ is dead series. This transfer in fact two parts. One is to transport the Taurus and two is to destroy the gundams. This plan will no doubt attract their attention, so this can serve as bait. I will give a detail explanation of each of the tekkamen's abilities. It may not be much, but it may aid you in a battle against them."

____

_Elsewhere, unknown.___

Heero, Duo, and Quarte had all retreated in a lone apartment building. Heero was currently looking over his next mission when Quatre and Duo came up behind him.

"So...you too huh?"

Heero merely cast a steely gaze at him and continued.

They're planning on shipping the Taurus Sol-Tekkas." Quatre informed them, although they already knew.

Duo nodded, "From the information I studied, they're using two routes. Air and land. Since there are three of us, only one can attack a transport."

"There are still the others." Quatre added. "Surely they will come as well."

Duo leaned back against the wall and shook his head, "I don't like this. It's too good to be true. Heero, what do you...?"

The laptop was gone and so was Heero.

"How the...Hey, where did you go?"

A light shining outside gave them the answer. They watched as Tekkaman Wing soared through the air and disappeared.

"Heero? Hey Heero, wait! What does he think he's doing?"

"He must still regret what he did." Quatre noted.

Duo frowned, "He's crazy. There's no way he'll be able to take on both routes."

"He'll take the air route. We should take the land one."

Duo looked at the blond boy strangely, "How do you know he'll take the air route?"

Quatre was quiet for awhile before finally answering in a low voice.

"I don't know. I just...know."

___

Lady Une pointed to the screen and an image of Tekkaman Wing came up.

"We will refer to this one as 01. It is possibly the most basic of the five, but possesses greater abilities in the air. Shoot it out of the sky with positron cannons and destroy it while grounded. Next, the 02 uses stealth abilities." The image switched to Deathscythe. "Lock onto it once it appeared and use an all-out assault." Heavyarms then came up, "03 uses long range weaponry, but the energy use drains its energy of the host allowing an opening for a barrage attack."

_____

_Elsewhere, unknown.___

Trowa silently walked away, leaving Wufei behind who was staring down at his sword, which was stabbed into the ground. Trowa took one last glimpse at him before driving away in a truck. Wufei didn't budge. _Nataku__, I'm sorry. I do not deserve you._

___

"Both 04 and 05 uses heightened close-range combat to their ends. Destroy them from a distance. Beware of the Voltekka cannons on 05 and 01. That ends the briefing." She moved over to Zechs. "I was hoping you would take on the 01 one-on-one with the Tallgeese. What do you think?"

Noin objected, "By himself against a gundam? That's too dangerous. I'll back him up."

Zechs turned to her, "Noin."

She looked up at him, "There are still some Aries units at the Victoria base." She then turned back to Lady Une, "Request permission to lead the units into battle."

"Sorry, but you'll will be accompanying me at the HQ as my assistant. Any problem with that?"

Noin glared, but she couldn't refuse a superior officer, "No"

Zech added to her, "I was actually hoping you would be stationed at the HQ. When the time comes, we'll need quick, accurate thinking. I'll need your support there."

Zechs approval was enough for her to calm her slowly growing anger, "Yes, sir."

That over with, Une backed away. "Commence operations."

___

_Arabian territory_

The two payloads traveled across the terrain, one of which is carrying there precious transport. So far, it had been smooth sailing, but you know what they say about the calm before the storm.

In this case, the storm came in the form of several showers of light.

"It's a gundam. Confirmed to be 03."

"All units, attack!"

The bulky tekkaman flew out from the sky and continued its deadly shower of energy, wiping out the Sol-Tekkas quickly.

 ___

Land route…

A train transport rolled through the desert lands, accompanied by several Leo Sol-Tekka's on top. As they continued searching for enemies, a dark shimmer appeared. As the train moved closer to it, it began to take form. A curved weapon appeared and the Sol-Tekka saw too late the green eyes of Death. Or rather, Deathscythe.

"Haaaaaaa!!!"

Deathscythe materialized and sliced the Sol-Tekkas on top of the train. The ones in the back fired on the tekkaman, but before they could do any more, a pair of curved weapons appeared as well, slicing them in half.

"We have to move fast."

Sandrock and Deathscythe work in tandem, slicing down the Sol-Tekkas with relative ease. The train suddenly stopped and both tekkamen leaped off. The doors opened revealing scores of Sol-Tekkas. The machines swarmed around and surrounded them.

"I guess now we know which is the fake one." Duo muttered.

___

"02 and 04 have been spotted at land route. Also we have confirmed that 01 has arrived and attacking the air route."

Noin got on the comm., "Come in, Zechs. 01 has appeared and is attacking the air route where we are fighting 03."

"That's fortunate. It'll be close, but I'll catch him mid-way."

___________

The tekkaman flew in, body covered with energy and flapping like a bird. Wing swooped through the Sol-Tekkas, wiping out four of them in one pass. Stopping its deadly flight, Wing took out its lancer and began its destruction. However, it was only partly finished when a new object appeared in the sky.

_That's not an Ares. It looks like a Leo, but bigger._

The white object came closer and Wing summoned his Voltekka. However before he could fire, the white Sol-Tekka veered upward at an incredible speed and fired down at Wing, causing him to halt his Voltekka.

"That enough, Gundam 01. We shall have no need for beam weapons between us."

 Wing looked surprised as Zechs ejected his cannon and pulled out a blade weapon.

"We'll fight for recognition of superiority. You are a gundam, so that should suit you fine."

Tallgeese landed in front of Wing, saber ready for battle. Wing's voltekka cannon de-materialized and he held onto his lancer. The two charged and Wing struck first. Zechs pushed up his shield, blocking the strike effectively, much to Wing's surprise. Tallgeese then struck out, but Wing ducked and slashed upward. Tallgeese reacted quickly and parried the slash before sending one of his own. Wing swooped up, but Tallgeese followed at high speed and they clashed in the air at high speed. Wing was continually surprised by Tallgeese's speed and power. It seemed to match his own, despite being a Sol-Tekka. The two warriors landed on the ground, readying for their next attack

_I'll defeat you without taking Tallgeese to its full limit._

_This won't be easy, but I'll try to destroy it._

However, before either of them could make a move, an audio transmission came out from the OZ base. Lady Une was at the other end.

"Attention gundams. We are now set up to launch an all out assault against the colonies. Simply stated, we control the fate of the colonies. You have a choice. Either you surrender yourselves of the colonies will be attacked. Even if the missiles don't destroy the colonies, the damage will attract the Radham. You can guess what will happen then. You will surrender yourselves immediately and drop your Tekka-Sets. Otherwise, the colony will be destroyed."

Deathscythe grimaced, "They want us to surrender?"

Sandrock added, "They targeted the colonies?" _That doesn't make sense. They would attack the very thing they're from?_

"Sounds like OZ's tricks." Heavyarms muttered

"Hell of a time for tasteless tactics." Zechs growled.

Tallgeese launched itself and clashed with Wing.

"You guys can fight? Well, can't you!"

The two struggled and Wing finally pushed forward and slashed upward, cutting off Tallgeese's saber hand.

"I can't fight in that case. Noin please, get me Lady Une."

____

"The gundams have stopped, but show no signs of surrendering."

Une patience ended, "Fire a missile. I don't care which."

But before the order could be carried out, Zech's image appeared in one of the screens.

"What are you doing? His Excellency wouldn't want this."

"I am doing nothing more than fulfilling his Excellency's wishes." Une shot back.

"You clearly don't understand..."

Lady Une didn't give him a chance to finsh as she cut the channel.

"You're the one that doesn't understand him."

Noin spoke up, "But His Excellency wouldn't want to involve civilians that could be hurt."

Reaching the brink of her control, Une suddenly turned and slapped Noin. Noin stepped back a bit, clearly angry but doing nothing.

"I will do whatever it takes to win. Even destroying a few insignificant colonies." She was about to repeat her previous order when another image came up, this time one all the screen. An old man with silver shades appeared.

"Another transmission, this time on all channels."

"Attention OZ. I never thought that you would be so incredibly foolish. You would dare attack the colonies in this manner just to win. If that is the case, then I have no choice but to surrender."

"Accepted. Tell them to stand down."

"I will surrender. But the Gundams will not. Understand?"

Wing gundam listened to Dr. J's words and spoke one thing.

"Mission accepted."

With that, Wing suddenly began to glow and flash with radiant energy.  Tallgeese managed to back away as Wing suddenly exploded in a column of pure energy. Everyone watched in shock at his act.

_He self-destructed...to protect the colonies._

_He sacrificed his life in exchange for the colonies._

_He didn't even give it a second thought_

Sandrock knelt down in pain. _Ahhh__.__ The pain. My body. My soul._

"We must retreat. There's nothing we can do for him. He's accepted all orders."

"All because they bluffed with the colonies."

"We can't fight any longer." Sandrock admitted sadly.

The three remaining tekkaman quickly took to the sky and disappeared. With all the disheartened and surprised thoughts and comments going through everyone's heads, no one noticed a thin pink trail of light flying out of the column, holding a darkened body with it.

_________

_The gundams have been defeated. With the colonies used as shields, the warriors are unable to fight. With little options, each pilot goes their separate way, but they are unaware of the fate of Heero Yuy. Meanwhile Relena returns to the Space Knights and new questions arise. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: The Whereabouts of Happiness_


	17. The Whereabouts of Happiness

Disclaimer: You know the drill

Chap. 16

_QZ HQ.___

Lady Une made her way to Trieze's office after the battle in Siberia. Trieze had signaled her to come and she strode into his room. Currently, he was looking out the window with his back toward her.

You wanted to see me, sir." Inwardly, she thought that he would commend her on how she dealt with the gundam problem. However, that hope was utterly crushed by Trieze's words.

"Lady Une, I must say that I'm disappointed."

She blinked, "Sir?"

He turned around, "Human beings are fragile creatures. Anyone is capable of killing. But you must never overuse this ability. You must precede with more elegance from now on, Lady."

She bowed her head slightly, "I'm sorry, sir. I'll try harder."

Trieze continued, "Oh, I you should get to learn more about the OZ organization."

"Yes sir."

The conversation now over, Lady Une turned and walked away. As she did, Trieze's words continued in her head. _Learn more about OZ? Is it possible that I do not understand Mr. Trieze?_

___________

_Siberian area.___

Zechs looked at the site of the Wing Tekkaman's apparent destruction. A crew of OZ soldiers was scanning the area. Zechs walked over to one of them.

"Have you found anything?"

The soldier shook his head, "No Colonel, nothing at all. But with such an explosion, I don't believe anything could have been left of him sir. Energy or otherwise."

Zechs nodded. In truth, he didn't know why he wanted the area checked. He wanted to see if the Gundam Tekkaman was truly gone. But it did self-destruct, so there's no reason why it should be alive. _Perhaps I'm expecting too much out of this._

Suddenly, one of the workers called out, "Sir, we've detected something. There seems to be two energy signatures here."

Zechs eyes narrowed underneath his mask, "Someone else?"

"I believe so, even though this one hasn't been weakened by the explosion.

Zechs took this into consideration. _Meaning someone else went through it._ He nodded to the officer, "Thank you lieutenant. That'll be all."

____________

_Desert location, unknown_

Duo and Quatre had hidden themselves away in a small town after the battle. With the colonies used as shields, their options are limited.

"I...can't believe Heero did that." Duo muttered to himself.

Quatre added, "He gave his life to protect the colonies. But we're still at a disadvantage"

"So where do we go from here?"

Quatre sat up, "I know a place. Follow me."

The two boys walked down the streets of the town. Duo found it strange that Quatre seemed to know this place. They reached one building in particular and Quatre walked in. At that moment, several men came out and aimed rifles at them. Duo put his hands up, but Quatre remained as he was.

"Hello Rashid."

The large man in front widened his eyes and lowered the rifle, "Master Quatre? It is you!"

At the sound of the name, the other soldiers put their weapons down as well. Quatre smiled as Rashid walked forward to greet him.

"You've grown much since the last time, master. Oh, where are our manners? Come in and rest. You can tell us what brings you here."

Quatre began walking and Duo followed. But some of the men stopped him and began raising their rifles again.

"It's alright. He's with me. This is Duo Maxwell. He's a Gundam as well."

The men lowered their weapons and nodded to him to which Duo quickly went by Quatre. As they walked in...

"Quatre, who are these guys?"

Quatre turned to him, "They are the Maganac corps. They are friends of mine."

Duo gave him a skeptical look, "Friends?"

"I'll explain later."

The group reached a room and sat down to talk. When the other men left, only Duo, Quatre and Rashid were left alone. Quatre explained to Duo who they were. The Managacs were a group of fighters from Quatre's colony, all primary bodies. Long ago, Quatre managed to save their lives from the Alliance and they swore fealty to him. They were the only other ones that knew of Quatre's secret and mission. But they still wanted to protect him, so they let him know that if he needed any assistance that he could come to them. After explaining this to Duo, Quatre next related to Rashid what had happened in the past few days.

Duo looked out of the window at the town, "I just don't understand. Why would OZ target the colonies? Are they not colony citizens themselves?"

Rashid rubbed his beard, "It looks like there's more to OZ than what we originally know."

"In any case, now that OZ has control of Earth, they will move to the colonies next."

"Then that is where we should go."

Quatre thought about his statement, "I don't know. If there's more to OZ than we know, then maybe attacking them might not be in the best interest of space."

Duo turned, "Are you serious? They've just conquered the Earth. Who knows what else they will do?"

Quatre frowned. They are using the colonies as shields. We can't just stay here and do nothing. I guess we have no choice.

"You're right, Duo. There's a hidden agenda in all of this and it can't be good for anyone."

  
Duo grinned, "Now you're talking. So our next mission is to return to the colonies."

Rashid stood up, "Shall you need us to accompany you?"

Quatre hesitated. _It would be better if he didn't. But still..._ However, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion from outside. Looking out, the three of them saw object falling from the sky. Upon closer inspection, they were recognized as...

"Radham attack!" Rashid quickly picked up his walkie-talkie. "All units, battlestations!"

The Radham hit the sands and began attacking. While people fled in terror, the Maganacs rushed out to face them. With rifles in hand, the desert warriors transformed into their armored forms and began fighting. The Radham were shot down, but they continued to come. Duo, Quatre and Rashid came out of the building. Quatre pulled out his Tekka-Set crystal, but Rashid stopped him.

"No, master. You and your friend have to escape now. We have a route that'll get you out of here."

Both Duo and Quatre looked at him wide-eyed, "But we can't just leave you here."

"Forget about us. We can handle this." Rashid shimmered in energy and transformed. His armor was desert-colored like the others.

"Now go. The route is underneath the base. It can take you out with no problem."

Duo looked at him and then at Quatre. As much as he hated to do this. "Quatre, let's go."

"But...?"

Duo stopped him, "We can not help here. Think about it. If OZ finds out that gundams were here, they'll come and destroy this place. You can't afford to be caught now."

Quatre looked at him and then back at Rashid who nodded to them

"Don't worry, master. We'll meet again."

With that, Rashid joined his troops as they continued fighting while Quatre and Duo left them behind. They re-entered the building and went into the lower level where they found a walkway tunnel. They traveled down it, still hearing the sounds of battle behind them. The tunnel ended and they emerged, a far distance from the battlefield. A jeep was waiting for them, but Quatre continued to watch the battle.

"Quatre?"

"I wish I could help them somehow."

Duo looked over at the fierce battle and came to a conclusion.

"Tek-Setta!"

Quatre suddenly turned just as Duo transformed. Dark armor encased the boy, transforming him into Tekkaman Deathscythe.

"Duo?"

Deathscythe turned his head to him slightly, "Don't worry. I don't like it either. This should help at least."

Quatre nodded, "Thank you, Duo."

Deathscythe's Voltekka cells opened and began to power up.

"Voltekka!"

The wave of energy flew across the desert and impacted with the Radham. It swallowed the alien invaders while they were still in battle with the Maganac. Rashid followed the source of the blast and waved at the distant figures that aided them and disappeared.

__________

_At the Space Knight HQ, it is found out that Heero is still alive. Meanwhile, both Zechs and Lady Une also determine the same possibility and Lady Une seeks him out at the Space Knights. At the same time, Relena herself visits to find answers of her own. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Tangled Lines._


	18. Tangled Lines

Disclaimer: Same as before. Why do I even bother with these?

Chap. 17

Space Knight HQ, medical bay.

The monitoring device beeped in repeated monotones around the bed. Lying in the center was Heero Yuy. His arm was scorched and he was unconscious, but alive. Above in the monitor room, several doctor monitored his condition. Aki approached from behind.

"How is he?"

One of the doctors answered, "Stable, which is a miracle in itself. He shouldn't even been alive, much less in one piece. I think it may have something to do with his gundamium armor."

"Have you made an analysis of the armor?"

"Partially. But it's very unusual. We haven't dealt with this kind of technology before. It seems Radham, but there are definite signs of human engineering. But that just makes it more difficult, plus the fact that he just self-destructed. It'll take time to understand it, Chief."

Aki nodded, "Thank you. Please keep me updated." _He survived self-destruction. What is capable of creating something like this?_

_____

David walked toward the exit of the building when it opened from the outside. A girl with aquamarine eyes and golden hair walked in. David's eyes widened slightly. _Whoa, who is that?_ The girl noticed him and walked to him.

"Hello. I'm looking for a Yumi Francious. Is she around?"

"Sorry. I'm afraid she's on probation." His eyes narrowed and then he suddenly recognized her. "Hey, you're Relena Dorlian, aren't you?"

"Yes."

_Whoa, she's hotter in person._ But then he remembered where he had heard the name and called his hormones down. "I'm sorry about what happened to your father."

Relena nodded and quickly changed the subject, "I was wondering if I could speak with the person in charge."

The charming, boyish grin appeared on his face, "That would be the Chief. She's in a meeting right now, but it shouldn't take long. If you want to, you could wait here. I'll let her know you're waiting."

Relena smiled, "Thank you. I will."

_____

"Yumi, do you realize how much danger you put us in. If OZ finds out, they will come here." Aki announced.

Yumi was stuck looking down at her feet, "I'm really sorry..."

Nearby, Natasha growled, "Sorry? You've got the whole OZ organization breathing down our necks now. And all you have to say for yourself is 'I'm sorry?'"

"He...needed help. I had to..."

"Chief. Relena Dorlian is here to see you."

_As I thought.__ She returned._ "We'll continue this later. Right now, go to your quarters."

"Yes Chief."

____________

"Here. She'll see you now."

Relena nodded, "Thank you for your help. I don't believe I gotten your name."

"David."

"Well, it was nice to meet you, David."

Relena entered and David flashed a grin again. _And the Dave-man scores._ Unfortunately, he was unaware of the several other figures entering the door behind him.

______

Relena entered the command room and sat before Aki, who was still stationed behind her desk.

"Are you the Chief?"

"Yes. Aki Kasuragi. Commander of the Space Knights. I've been expecting you."

Relena was stunned. Expecting me? "You were?"

"I'm believe this has something to do with the tekkaman that crash-landed on Earth with you."

Relena looked away a bit. True that was the reason she came before. But now, it didn't seem as important. And in truth, Relena wasn't sure.

"Well..."

"Chief, we also have some other visitors, from OZ. They demand to speak with you."

At the sound of OZ, Relena stiffened. However Aki spoke back into the comm.

"Send them in." _They're early._

The doors opened and in walked Lady Une, flanked by three Specials soldiers. Aki gazed in her direction.

"Welcome to the Space Knight Command Center. I'm Aki Kasuragi, the commander in charge here."

Lady Une returned the glance coldly, "I well know who you are, Kasuragi. I'm here on an inspection."

"For what reason?" Aki matched her cold gaze with a steely one of her own.

"Aiding the gundams."

If the Chief was surprised, she gave no evidence of it, "I can assure you that the Space Knights have done no such a thing."

Une was about to argue back when she finally caught sight of Relena, "What is she doing here?" she said, somewhat angrily.

Aki kept her voice calm and steady. "Ms. Dorlian is visiting us the same as you. Now if you have nothing else to say, you should go now."

"Not so fast. You still are charged with aiding the gundam tekkamen.

What makes you say that?

Lady Une flashed a dangerous grin, "This." She handed one of the soldier a disc recorder to which he played on the monitor. It showed the event of Wing Tekaman's self-destruct and the pink beam of light that swiftly went through it. Zooming in, it was revealed to be Tekkaman Hiver, holding the darkened body of Wing. She ended the tape and barked her orders

"Search this entire base. Make sure no one enters or leaves."

Aki's expression hadn't changed one bit, but she arose from her seat, "I can't allow you to do that. We are not under your jurisdiction or command. You have no rights here and I will not tolerate a seizure."

Lady Une darted an eye in her direction, "Do you know who you are dealing with?"

Aki ignored the question, "The last thing you need is to make an enemy out of the Space Knights. We have enough problems with the Radham invasions. We have not accepted, wanted, or involved anything to do with the military, OZ or otherwise. We fight the Radham. But if you threaten that or us, that may change."

Lady Une's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Is that a threat?"

"Only if you take it as one. Beyond that, it is merely a suggestion."

By now, Lady Une was fuming, and a breath away from ordering her unit to seize the command center, by force if necessary.

_Proceed with more elegance from now on._

Lady Une shut her eyes briefly. _Master Trieze...wouldn't want that. There will be another way and time, Knight._

"Very well. I'll accept that for now." Her voice sharpened, "But I suggest you watch your step, Chief."

Aki simply nodded, "Good day, Col. Une."

Lady Une turned and walked out, but not before casting one last glance at Relena before leaving. Once she left, Aki returned her attention to her previous guest.

"So Ms. Dorlian, what really brings you back here?"

Relena held her gaze this time, but only in direction. Her mind was slightly dazed by what happened.

"Well, truthfully I'm not sure." She looked down again, "Things have changed since my father died."

"Yes, I heard about that. I am sorry."

Relena continued, "I though...maybe here..."

"You could find some answers."

The response came from a darkened corner from behind Aki. A male figure stepped out, wearing dark sunglasses. Relena focused her attention on the new figure.

"Who are you?"

Aki answered for him, "Relena Dorlian, this is D-Boy. The Commander of the Space Knights."

"D-Boy. Yes, Yumi told me about you. You were the... It was you, wasn't it?"

D-Boy simply nodded, knowing full well what she was talking about.

Relena continued, "You were the white tekkaman that saved my life. Why?"

"Come with me." he said with a quiet, yet powerful voice. Relena was uncertain and she looked over to Aki, who simply nodded and Relena stood up from her seat and followed the mysterious leader.

_________

The doctors continued to monitor Heero's vitals from the control room, but so far nothing had changed in his condition. However, they were unaware that the person in question was wide awake and slowly escaping his bonds...

_______

_Outside, beach area…_

Relena and D-Boy stood side by side near the water. Relena was looking down, whenever she wasn't catching glimpses of D-Boy, who was merely staring out into the sea silently. After a couple of minutes, he started.

"I guess I should start by telling you what had been going on. Several years ago, after the final major battle in the Radham, their leader was finally destroyed. A year after that, the remaining Radham were forced out of this system by the military. But the Radham left behind many unfinished tekkamen, primary bodies in the colonies and on Earth. When the military became oppressive toward them, some of them revolted. In time, they infiltrated the Earth Sphere and became known as OZ, or the Specials as you know them."

"That's just what Dr. J told me."

The name caught his interest, "Dr. J?"

Relena answered, "The man who sent Heero to Earth. He said that Heero was sent to stop OZ."

"Hmm. I see."  _So there are more powers involved after all._ "I wasn't sure who he or the others were, so I let them remain until I found out."

Relena was surprised by this new information, "Others? You mean there were others like Heero?"

D-Boy looked in her direction, his eyes hidden beneath the shades, "I'm not sure I should be telling you this, but perhaps it would be best if you knew. Yes, five all together, including him. They came here and hid among us fighting the Radham while crippling OZ at the same time. Then they left on a crucial mission, but failed. From there, they split up and are now continuing to fight, but it may be useless at this point."

_So Heero is gone now._ "Tell me something. If you knew about OZ all this time, why didn't you try to stop them?" A twinge of sorrow and anger began to surface briefly. "My father could have been saved."

"The Space Knights can't interfere with things like that. By the time we found out, it was far too late. OZ had been deeply entrenched into the Alliance so any move we would have made would had hurt many more innocent lives. And we are only to fight against the Radham, so we can not interfere openly."

Relena eyes went back to the sea. "I see."

"I'm sorry I could not be of any more help. But I suggest you be more careful from now on. Things are going to get more dangerous." He pulled out a device from his pocket. "Here, take this. You can contact us if you need our help."

Relena took the device and looked it over. It appeared to be a communicator. She looked back up at D-Boy.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Your father was one of the few people who cared about the Earth more than his own position and power. There weren't many like him in..." His head suddenly jerked up. Unseen by Relena, his Tekka-set shimmered on his forehead briefly. "You better go now."

_______

_Inside_

The medical staff was in a panic as Natasha looked down out through the glass of the medical room. Aki entered in from behind.

"What's the emergency?"

Natasha turned to her, "Chief. Heero has escaped."

Aki looked past her and out of the glass. The medical bed was empty, with a few blood stains on it.

"They didn't even know he was conscious. I'm going to go out and find him my..."

"No. Let him go."

"Chief?"

Aki continued to stare out, "It would be better for him to escape. We can't afford to confront OZ now and he has been trained to survive on his own."

Natasha was a bit surprised, but she accepted it.

"Yes, Chief."

__________

Relena walked alongside the beach toward her limo. Even though D-Boy answered some of her questions, she was still a little confused. _Why must these things end up in violence?_ She entered the vehicle and Pagan drove away. However, both of them were unaware of the lingering figure that slipped into the trunk of the limo.

_Heero__ manages to escape from the Space Knights. But with no current mission, he finds himself lost. To make matters worse, a group of Radham attack Relena's home. Heero goes to fight, unaware of the condition of his power. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Time Limit_


	19. Time Limit

Disclaimer: Same as usual.

Chap. 19

Relena returned to her mansion after her brief visit with the Space Knights. Her conversation with D-Boy revealed that there was a lot more going on in the world than she ever thought possible. _Why must humans always fight with one another? Is it not enough that the Radham continue to attack us without warring among ourselves?_ She was deep in thought as she exited the vehicle and walked into her house. Too much in thought that she didn't notice her mother standing by the doorway.

"There you are, Relena. I thought you would miss your party."

Relena blinked, "My party?"

Mrs. Dorlain gave a half laugh, "It's your birthday today, remember? All the guest are already here."

Relena blinked again, "Oh, my. I've forgotten." _Ever since father…_

Mrs. Dorlian noticed the look on Relena's face, "If you want, I can call it off."

Relena shook her head, "No. I should attend. It is my birthday after all and everyone is already here, so there's no sense in disappointing them. And Father would want me to enjoy it."

Mrs. Dorlain smiled and went back inside. Relena moved to follow, but a shadow caught the corner of her eye. Turning in, she saw a familiar figure enter stealthy into the house. Changing direction, Relena followed.

______

Heero hid himself in one of the room in the mansion. He growled as he examined his arm. The burn was mostly healed, but it was still slowing him down. He couldn't afford to slow down, but he didn't have a choice. He had to wait until he was fully healed. But then what? _What is the condition of the colonies? Are they under OZ control now?_ He needed to find out before he did anything.

"Are you here to kill me Heero?"

Heero swiftly whipped around. Relena stood across from him in the room. Without another breath, Heero whipped out his gun and pointed it at Relena. However, she wasn't fazed in the least.

"I met with Dr. J."

Heero blinked in surprise. Relena saw this and moved closer to him. Heero raised the gun until it was pointed right on her chest at point-blank range.

"So even you can be surprised." Relena continued. "Ever since I met you, it's been me who get constantly surprised by you. There is no purpose in killing me now. There is a party going on downstairs and I don't think you want a commotion."

Heero glared slightly, but did or said nothing. Relena glanced down on his arm to find the large burn still etched in it.

"That needs to be looked at." Relena strode over to the bathroom connected to the room and grabbed a cloth. Wetting it, she walked back over to Heero.

"Give me your arm."

Heero raised the gun to her forehead, but she was still unfazed.

"If you still want to kill me afterward, then you can. But you don't need any handicaps right now."

Heero frowned inwardly at this, but he knew that she was right. Lowering his arm, he let Relena wrap the blue cloth tightly around his arm. As she did...

"My party begins in a few minutes. Might as well stay and enjoy it." She finished wrapping it and stood back a bit. "It would be less suspicious if you left that way. At least until the dance is over." Relena then bent down in a curtsy leave a stunned Heero trying to figure her out.

"Fine then."

___

"So you want to join the circus?"

Trowa stood in front of a circus's ringmaster. After the last battle, he wanted to find a way into space without getting noticed. The circus was moving to one of the colonies at that time, thus providing him with a path. All he had to do was get hired.

The ringmaster eyed Trowa warily, "Got experience?"

Trowa silently handed him a paper and the ringmaster read it. A slight scowl formed on his face, "This doesn't tell me any..."

He was interrupted when Trowa had walked over to one of the lion cages and stuck his hand in. The beast roared, but Trowa didn't move.

"Hello." he said softly.

The lion growled a little more before stopping and cautiously move downward Trowa. When close enough, Trowa rested his hand on the lion's head and rubbed it softly. The lion let out a low purr as it enjoyed the petting. The ringmaster was speechless and Trowa answered his unsaid question.

"Beasts only bear their fangs at enemies. They're true to their feelings."

The ringmaster finally came out of his stupor and his scowl returned to his face, "Anyway...Trowa, we lift off in 1 hour. If you're not on board, then kiss your job here goodbye."

The ringmaster left and Trowa stopped petting the lion. From above, a young woman had noticed Trowa's display with the lion.

"Mysterious kid."

She leapt down from where she was, "Hey there. Nice to meet you."

".........."

"Hm, the strong silent type, huh? Well, that's okay. Oh, my name is Katherine. Katherine Bloom."

Trowa looked up at her, but remained quiet. Katherine shrugged and began to walk away where he spoke.

"Trowa Barton."

____

Meanwhile, Relena had gone down to the party. With her, Heero walked down the stairs behind her. When her mother asked who he was, Relena simply answered that she had invited him from school and had spilled a drink on his jacket, so she let him borrow one of her father's. In truth, Heero was wearing the entire suit, but Relena's mother didn't noticed and welcomed him. Heero avoided contact throughout the party, waiting for an opening for him to leave quietly without anyone noticing. Unfortunately, there weren't enough people for him to leave, so he was pretty much stuck. It was then that the dance music came up. Several of Relena's male classmates asked to dance, but she declined their offers and took Heero's hand. Heero followed, slightly annoyed but having little choice in the matter. Deciding to go along with it, he took hold of her waist and the two of them danced in the center. As they did, they had a whispered conversation.

"Heero. I know too much about you. Are you still going to destroy me?"

"Yeah." was the short reply.

Relena continued, "I didn't want to die without any answers. But now it's different. Now I know how you feel when you fight. And that's because, I'm on your side now."

Heero blinked in surprise. "On my side?"

It was then that his tekkaset glittered on his forehead. Relena saw it and watched as Heero's head snapped up.

"Heero?"

"Radham.

____________

On the waters outside of the city, five objects fell from the sky and into the water. The object arose and was revealed to be Radham tekkamen. The leader waved his arm out and they all flew toward the city.

____________

_Space Knight____Command____Center___

"Space Knights, move out."

"What about Yumi?" Hayato asked.

She's going to stay in this time." Aki answered. She then added, "Hayato, you will pilot with Dead."

Hayato cringed slightly, much to Dead's hidden amusement. Nevertheless, he saluted, "Yes, Chief."

_______

The Radham reached the city and suddenly began firing on it. Buildings began to topple over as they made their way through the city. At Relena's house, the guest began to panic and scramble out of the house in order to avoid the destruction. In the midst of it, Heero stepped out into the back, with Relena following him. Ignoring her completely, he took out his crystal and raised it.

"Tek-Setta!"

Relena covered her eyes as the crystal's light engulfed Heero as he shot into the air. Armor began encasing the young boy as he went through his transformation into...

"Tekkaman Wing!"

_______

_OZ HQ_

"We have confirmed the appearance of Radham activity in the JAP point, Asia area." The soldier paused briefly. "Wait. Surveillance has also picked up something else."

The commander came over to him. "More tekkamen?"

"Just one. It's a gundam!"

The commander wasted no time, "Send all available units to that area immediately."

____

The Radham tekkamen continued their assault on the city. People from all around scattered away from the alien invaders. But unbeknownst to the Radham, an object was approaching them fast. Two of them sensed the object and turned around, only to be vaporized by a bird-like energy wave. The energy bird flapped its wings and flew upward before stopping and revealing its true self. Wing Tekkaman.

"Kill..."

The remaining three swarmed up to the gundam tekkaman and in response, Wing unsheathed his sword lancer. He charged and clashed with the first one, pushing it away. The second came up from behind and stabbed out with it lancer. Wing sensed it at the last second and sidestepped, causing it to miss totally. Then he spun himself around and slashed at the Radham, cutting off its arm. The alien creature screamed in pain and Wing slashed again, cutting it in half. Wing's eyes then shimmered as he turned to his next targets.

_____

_Blue Earth 2_

"Chief, it's Heero. It must be him."

"I feel him too. We better hurry."

_____

The two remaining Radham didn't wait for Wing to come as they charge to him first. Wing noticed the change, and went straight toward them. His wing protrusions shot open on his back and he went even faster. The Radham didn't expect that and he flew right pass them. Wing then turned around and shot his wire out. The wire hooked around one of the tekkamens arm and Wing pulled him in. The tekkaman turned only to be impaled and sliced through. Now with one left, Wing opened his wings again and charged...

_____

The Space Knights just arrived to see him bear his blade down on the last tekkaman, decapitating it. Wing hovered down to the ground, seemingly tired. The knights landed as well and began to approach him. But a loud scream halted their advance.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!"

Wing suddenly screamed and clutched his head, appearing to be in serious pain.

"Uggghhh!!! What's...happening? Ahhhhhhhh!!!"

The Space Knights watched as Wing continued to scream and hold his head. Aki watched and then gasped. Oh no. He has a...

"The gundam is down. Prepare to seize the target."

From above, the OZ forces arrived and came in toward the downed tekkaman.

"No wait! Don't go near him!" Aki warned.

But the OZ soldiers paid no attention to her as they moved in close to the gundam. It was at that moment that Wing stopped screaming and simply became quiet. This baffled the OZ solders and they stopped to examine their target. Wing turned his head to them and his eyes burned brightly.

_In a shade of blood-red.___

____

_Heero__ has succumbed to the darker nature of his tekka-powers. With his mind now scrambled, he goes on a berserker rampage. However, an opportunity appears to bring him out of his rage and also reveal a part of Heero he never thought existed. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Light within Chaos_


	20. Light within Chaos

Disclaimer: Same as before. You know the drill

Chap. 20

"Gundam Tekkaman 01. Surrender immediately. You are surrounded."

The only response he got was a low growl as Wing suddenly shot up and impaled the Sol-Tekka. Holding the twisted machinery, he gave a short chuckle before flinging him into another Sol-Tekka. The others wasted no time in pelting him with energy fire, but all it served to do was annoy him. With a beast-like cry, Wing thrust himself into the Sol-Tekkas, brutally tearing them apart and ripping them to shreds and laughing while the Space Knights watched in horror.

"Knights, you must to restrain him immediately."

"Chief?"

Aki continued, "In his current condition, he's become a bigger threat than the Radham." She then ordered, "Stop him at all cost!"

The rest were unsure on whether to fight him, or even if they could. This however didn't stop Tekkaman Dead from flying in first in attack. Wing stopped his assault of OZ and lunged at the dark Tekkaman. Dead and Wing clashed in a spray of energy. Wing then charged in again, forcing Dead to block. Wing repeated the action, again putting Dead on the defense. Dead flew back to re-gather himself, but Wing was already coming. _He's like a mad dog_, thought Dead as he blocked yet another blow. The two of them stayed linked in the air until Wing raised his winged protrusions on his back, igniting the jets and slamming Dead into the ground. Dead was now pinned and Wing raised his lancer to run him through when another form tackled him. Wing shot up to face Tekkaman Sommer and Vesna.

"We have to be careful, Natasha. If we take him together..."

Vesna didn't reply as she charged in on Wing with a feral cry. Wing matched it and charged as well. Vesna brought her lancer down on him with a heavy strike, but the blow was blocked. Wing then attacked and Vesna was pushed back into the ground. Sommer tossed his lancer blade at Wing, but Wing saw it coming and smacked it away. However Vesna saw the opening it provided and stabbed upward, cutting the armor of the gundam and giving way to blood. However, the armor was enough to cause her lancer to snap in two. 

"What?"

Wing growled before kicking her in the ribcage, causing her to roll across the ground. Sommer charged in, but Wing saw him again and struck out. However, Sommer swooped upward at the last second and his Voltekka cells ignited and fired. Wing only managed to look up as the beam hit him dead on.

"Alright, bull's eye!"

But the victory was short-lived as the gundam's red glowing eyes penetrated through the rising dust. In a flash, he swooped out and elbowed Sommer in the chin and kicked him into the ground. Sommer shook his head and Wing bagen to prepare his Voltekka.

"Yumi, now!"

The berserk Tekkaman stopped briefly to see a pink form in the air above him, charging a pink light in her hands.

"Reactor...Voltekka!!!!!!"

______

_Isolated hill, unknown_

On top of a grassy hill before a large lake, Wufei stood before the beautiful setting. However, his mind was not as serene at the moment. His defeat at the hands of Trieze still echoed in his thoughts as he held his sword/tekka-set. Flipping it around, he silently stabbed the weapon into a massive boulder. Releasing it, he looked at it and bowed his head.

"I am no longer able to fight. Denounce me, Nataku."

___

Reactor...Voltekka!!!!!!"

The massive beam of energy swarmed out at the gundam. However before it hit, it split up into various particles of light and shot away. Wing seemed confused and the beams suddenly veered back at him. They hit him with tremendous force and sealed him in an energy crystal.

"I got him!"

The gundam roared and began to bash his fists against the inside, but he was trapped within. At that point, the other Knights were recovering and joined up with them.

Sommer looked up to Hiver, "What did you do, Yumi?"

Hiver was too focused in her task, so Aki answered him over the comm. from the Blue Earth 2, "He trapped within the voltekka's reactive force. The reactor voltekka could also be used as a way to hold tekkamen, but we never tested the theory."

Dead got up as well, "Well, it looks like it works."

Wing continued to beat inside of it until he seemed to have tired. Suddenly, his body began to grow in pure light.

"Rahhhhhhhhh!!!!"

Yumi intensified the beam, but was struggling with it, "He's...forcing it away. I can't...ahhhh!"

The crystal shattered and Wing swarmed out, now in his crystal bird form. The energy wings flapped in the air as he circled around and smashed into the knights, flooring them and the Blue Earth all in one pass. He continued his flight through them and circled downward, exploding at their feet. The force pushed them all away and they looked up to see the gundam, eyes burning red.

"Mission...de...stroy...tar...get."

"What is he saying?"

"Accept...ed."

The wing protrusions on his back open again and he shot off into the sky. Aki watched him from inside the downed Blue Earth and saw the direction he was heading.

"Pegasus, tek-setta!!!"

______

Meanwhile, Relena's house was still abandoned, save for herself. She had been standing in the backyard, watching the battle from there. A suddenly flash of light caught her attention from above and surprise flashed when she saw what. Tekkaman Wing was barreling down straight at her and smash-landed on the ground, causing her to fall. She shook her head and looked up to see the winged gundam striding dangerously toward her. She thought about running briefly, but she knew she wouldn't make it that far. Rather she nervously stood up and faced Wing.

"Heero. That's you, right?"

Wing gave a garbled reply, "Mission...destroy...kill..."

He moved closer to her and she did the same. She had accepted that this would happen. But she knew why though.

"I understand. Come and do it."

Wing took another step and suddenly dashed at her and held her up by her throat. Relena struggled, but made no move to try to escape. However, she did notice that something was wrong. _Why doesn't he do it?_ As a tekkaman, all it would take is a flick of his wrist and that would end it. But he's doing nothing more than holding her. His eyes glared as his grip struggled to tighten, but instead, it was loosening. It kept going on like this for awhile, as he growled constantly to himself.

"Mission...kill...Re...lena... Relena?"

Then as soon as he had grabbed her, he let her go. Relena bent to the ground, coughing and catching her breath as Wing gripped his head and bent down as well. Relena looked up to see him rack his head side by side, growling and moaning.

"Guhhhhh! Naggghhh!!! Arrggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!"

His head shot up in an ear-splitting howl and it fell back down. Relena looked hesitantly at him and slowly raised her hand. Wing slowly raised his head as she neared him. The blue glow of his eyes had returned.

"Relena?"

Relena gave him a look of compassion as her hand drifted closer. However, before it could reach, he began to shimmer with energy and he suddenly shot off into the air in his crystal-energy bird form. She stood up and watched as he flew off into the skies.

"Heero. Don't run away from me."

Unbeknownst to her, Aki had been watching the entire incident from above. Originally, she planned to attack, but needed to get Wing away from Relena. But now it seems that that was no longer necessary.

_He could have killed her. But instead, he let her go. Now I am beginning to see what D-Boy meant. You are a key factor, in all of this._ She gave Pegasus a nudge and it turned around. As she flew away, she took one last glimpse of Relena. _Stay alive, Relena._

Relena continued to look into the sky, almost missing the fact that her mother had came up behind her, saying that after everyone had left, she went searching for Relena and was worried sick. Relena snapped out of her gaze and told her that she was fine. With a sigh of relief, Ms. Dorlian held her daughter by her shoulders and escorted her inside. However, before she entered, she took one last glimpse into the sky.

_Heero__.___

________

_While both OZ and the Gundams continue to move into space, Wufei remains, feeling that he is not strong to fight any longer. However, a chance encounter with Sally Po and Fera causes him to re-evaluate himself and return to the battlefield. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Rising Dragon_

_AN: Sorry. Rushed again. It's becoming a bad habit. Oh, and you may have noticed that gundams do in fact have a weakness._


	21. Rising Dragon

Disclaimer: You already know, so there's no point in writing it.

_AN: Sorry for the long wait. I was caught up writing another fanfic. _

Chap. 21

A solitary figure walked into town, his face deep in a seeming focus. Dressed in white Chinese clothes, Wufei left the area where his sword remained. His mind was repeatedly replaying his defeat. _I am weak. I am no longer able to fight._ His fists clenched periodically as he entered into a small town a short distance away. His eyes saw an OZ base not too far away, so he can assume that OZ soldiers were most likely occupying the area. Just as luck would have it, as he entered the town, he passed a bar where three soldiers had just exited. Wufei glared at them. _They're drunk while on duty. And they call themselves soldiers._ One of them noticed his lance and stood before him.

"Well, what have we here? A little pretty boy."

"Step aside if you know what's good for you", was the irritated reply.

The man stepped back, irritated by his reply. One of his buddies can up to him next.

"Do you know who we are? We are top OZ soldiers. You better show the proper respect, boy."

Wufei was not intimidated at all. "I'm showing you all the respect you deserve. Now stand aside."

Angered now, the second soldier grabbed Wufei by his collar, "Why you...?"

**Ka-Pow!**

Having had enough, Wufei sent the man a sharp kick in the shin. The man bent down in pain and dropped him back. Now enraged, he charged at the young man, but Wufei simply sidestepped the man's charge and sent a hard chop to the back of his head, knocking him flat on the ground. The other two now joined in and charged. But Wufei swiftly twisted around and sent a fist into the man's abdomen. Stunned, he was them kicked into his partner who fell into a pile of trash can and lay still. He tried to rise, only to be knocked out himself by a blurring roundhouse kick. Wufei then heard a click behind him and turned to see the first soldier was holding a gun on him.

"Snotty little punk. Making fools out of us."

The soldier looked ready to fire, but an arm came out of the alley behind him and wrapped around his face. Dragging him a bit, a fist flew out and knocked him out cold. A blond-haired woman came out of the alleyway, accompanied by another woman and a few men. The woman looked down at the beaten OZ soldier.

"Actually, you did a good job of that on your own." She then looked over to Wufei. "Are you alright, kid?"

Wufei gruffly responded, "I didn't ask for your help."

One of the men with her grumbled, "Huh? Hey, show her some respect. She just saved your life."

The woman waved her hand, "Its okay. It doesn't matter." Noticing the other soldiers on the ground, she ordered, "Apprehend them. We can take them in to base."

The men followed her command and lifted them up and began to carry them away. The woman looked back at the Wufei. _He was able to beat two soldiers like this? I guess he really didn't need my help._

"What's your name?"

At first, Wufei thought about ignoring her. _She is a woman after all. But...she did save me. Damn, I am so weak._

"Chang Wufei."

"Wufei, huh. I'm Sally Po. It was good to meet you, Wufei."

Wufei noticed the group. They were obviously soldiers, probably from the former Alliance trying to fight back. In any case, it didn't concern him. It was then that he noticed the other girl was still looking at him, almost staring. He frowned, "What are you staring at?"

The woman's gaze didn't leave him, "You're a tekkaman, aren't you?" He didn't answer and she continued, "No, you're something else...a gundam perhaps?"

Wufei glared harder. "What if I am?"

"If you are a gundam, then surely you know what is going on." She stepped forward a bit, "My name is Fera. Would you consider joining us? We're fighting OZ the same as you are."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I can't." Wufei shot back. "Now leave me alone." He began to walk away.

The woman looked at him briefly and then slowly nodded, "Very well then. Take care, Wufei."

As Wufei walked away, Sally came back to her comrade.

"What was that about?"

Fera shook her head, "...Nothing. It's nothing."

The rebels returned to their secret base, which was a small bunker alongside the hill a short distance away from the town. Inside were a few other soldiers, some from the former alliance. The three prisoners were taken to holding cells while the command group gathered together for a meeting. Sally Po and Fera were on there way there.

"What is it?"

Excuse me?"

I know that look. You have something on your mind. You can tell me. And I'm not going to buy the 'it's nothing' line, so you might as well get it out,

"Well, it's that boy we met. Wufei."

"Yeah, what about him?"

"I believe he's a gundam."

"Hmm. I had a feeling about him, but what makes you think he's a gundam?"

"When you hang around tekkamen for awhile, you get to feeling them out. Besides, the Soul of Outer Space tells me so."

"I see." Sally Po nodded. Since they met, Sally knew that Fera was definitely no ordinary person. In fact, it was that that led her to check her record to determine who she was and ultimately finding out that she was actually the one of the Space Knights. But she never found out why she left or who she was hiding from at the time, but it was of no consequence now

"Well we better move. You know how grumpy Max gets when we're late."

Fera gave a small chuckle, but that was abruptly ended by an alarm.

Sally grabbed her walkie-talkie and shouted, "What's going on?"

A voice came back though, "One of the prisoners has escaped."

Her eyes widened. _If he reveals the location of this base..._

"Find him immediately!"

It didn't take long. The OZ soldier managed to get to a communications link-up and began to contact his base. Moments later, the door bashed in and Sally and a few others stormed the room.

"Hold it right there."

"You're too late. I've already sent a message. A squad of Leos is on its way as we speak." He then sneered, "You're history, Alliance trash!"

__________

The high whine of the base sounded once again and troops moved rapidly to their stations. The command group met up together to discuss their plan for the upcoming attack.

"We will be divided into two groups." Sally Po announced. "Group A will retreat to the rendezvous point with the supplies. Group B will engage the enemy while they escape."

One of the men commented, "But they're using Sol-Tekkas. How can we possibly defeat those?"

"We're just going to bide for time. We have enough weapons to hold them off and once group A has escaped, we are to withdraw. I will lead Group B into battle. Max, think you can handle getting everyone out of here?"

Max grumbled, "Fat chance. I'm going to go with you." He held his hand up to stop her objection. "I have more battle experience than you do. You're going to need it if you want to get out alive."

"I'll handle Group A." Fera announced.

Sally sighed, "Fine then. You'll lead Group A out while we handle the Sol-Tekkas. We have to hurry. We have only 20 minutes at the most before they get here."

__________

Wufei stood on the hill he had just traveled from. He stood there unmoving as he was deep in thought. _How can I fight OZ? I am too weak to fight anymore. What can I do?_ His thoughts were stopped by a familiar humming. Looking over the cliff, he could make out several green objects moving toward the far base of the hill. _Sol-Tekkas._ Wufei followed them from a distance, but was still unsure as to why he should.

_______

Sally and the rest of the rebels were ready for the incoming OZ force. The supply convoy was slowly trudging its way out of the area while Sally and her team drove forward in jeeps and trucks, armed with rifles and rocket launchers.

"We aren't going to do much good with these?" one of he men muttered.

"Quiet boy!" Max snapped from nearby. "This is what we've got, so stop whining about it."

Sally smirked at the display, but inwardly she cringed. The young rebel was right in saying that their weapons won't be too much of a match for Sol-Tekkas. Still, they would be enough to hold them off, just for awhile. _They had to._

"Here they come."

On the horizon before them came five dull green objects. The Leo Sol-Tekkas were coming at them at high speed.

Sally spoke on the walkie-talkie, "Alright, remember. Do not, I repeat, do not engage them directly. They won't use their beam weapons in this kind of space so they'll have to come in close. Use long distance fire and the trees and rocks for cover. We only have to hold them off for a while and then retreat. Don't try anything heroic, understood?"

The soldiers replied, "Yes, ma'am."

The jeeps slowed down and stopped as the Sol-Tekkas neared. One of the men fired a rocket, catching their attention and bringing them toward them. Rounds of fire followed and the battle began. Just as Sally predicted, they didn't use beam weapons to fight with. But their armor and boosters still made them deadly and they were armed with machine guns. The rebels wasted no time in their distraction, weaving through the trees and all avoiding fire.

"Group A. How's that convoy?"

Fera's voice came back over, "68% has been evacuated."

"Hurry it up. We're being hammered out here."

Suddenly, a beam of light struck out and hit one of the jeeps, destroying it and the passengers completely. Sally watched in horror as the Leo began using their energy cannons, destroying the entire landscape at random. _This is insane! One of those beams could hit and destroy the town._ Beam after beam was fired, swiftly wiping out the resistance. Sally's truck was hurled over by one of the explosions and the major struggled out, injured. One of the Sol-Tekkas was aiming at her.

"Sally, look out!"

A truck rolled into the way of fire and was blasted through. Sally saw the driver inside.

"Max!"

The truck exploded in a flash and Sally shielded herself from the debris. Climbing out again, she saw the Sol-Tekka's continue their original destination toward the base. _No, they need more time._ Picking up a fallen rocket launcher, she fired a full salvo at the war machines. But that did nothing aside from getting their attention. More rockets were fired and Sally turned to see a few had survived the onslaught and were now serving as a distraction themselves. The Sol-Tekkas began to move in.

___

Wufei had been watching the battle from above. He saw the Leos encircle the resistance and it would only be a matter of time before they are crushed. _Yet they continue to fight...right until the bitter end._ His eyes focused in on one in particular; the woman whom he had met before. The one who... His fist clenched at the thought of his own weakness, but he made a quick dash up the hill and found what he was looking for. His sword was still stabbed into the stone, with the crystal gleaming at the hilt. The sounds of battle increased as he approached it.

"Nataku. I know I am unworthy to ask, but..." His hand fell upon the hilt. "...please lend me strength." With a swift motion, the sword cracked the rock and Wufei raised it above his head into the sky.

"Tek-setta!!!"

____

The group had been completely surrounded by the Leos. Nevertheless, they never dropped their weapons to surrender

"Major?"

Sally turned to the same soldier she had spoken to before, holding a rifle.

"Yes?"

"It has been an honor serving with you."

Sally nodded sadly before glaring back at the machines, waiting for death. Suddenly, a long stream of fire poured out of the sky and engulfed the Sol-Tekka, incinerating it. Looking up, she saw the dragon tekkaman Shenlong dive in on the next Sol-Tekka, impaling the next one through.

"It's a gundam!"

Shenlong wasted no time in pulling out his weapon and sending it in a slashing arch, cutting through the next one. Three were destroyed before the others knew what was going on. Using more pressure, Shenlong unfolded his dragon arm and let it fly, biting into the next one. One of the Sol-Tekka's fired, but Shenlong jumped out of the way of the beam. Still holding the Sol-Tekka, Shenlong swung it at his partner, causing them to collide and crash into the ground. The last remaining one locked on and fired, blasting Shenlong and the area. The pilot let out a smirk, but it was cut down when Shenlong swooped out of the flame. With a loud cry, Shenlong jammed the lancer into the Sol-Tekka's face-plate and drove it into the ground, crushing it. All of the Sol-Tekkas were completely destroyed. Shenlong stood within the smoke, simply looking at the destruction he wrought. He then turned slightly to see Sally Po walking up behind him.

"Thank you, gundam."

A metallic scowl came out, "I didn't do this for you, woman. But now my debt has been repaid." With that Shenlong began to stride away, leaving Sally to her thoughts. _So Fera was right, again. That boy is the gundam._

Meanwhile, unaware of her thoughts, Shenlong continued walking with his own thoughts in mind. _OZ has deepened it shadow even into outer space. Then that is where I shall go._ He raised his blade into the air. _Show me your justice, Nataku!_

__________

_With both OZ and the Gundam moving into space, Earth is left under OZ's total control as well as more open to Radham attacks. Relena goes to Moscow to confront her father's killer, Lady Une. But a surprise Radham attack reveals another hidden part of Relena's life; her brother. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Dove in the Battlefield._


	22. Dove in the Battlefield

Disclaimer: I do not own either…you know what. Just read the disclaimer from before and you'll get the idea.

Chap. 22

_OZ HQ_

"I commend you on your situation with the Space Knights. You handled it well."

Lady Une smiled at Trieze's commendation, "Thank you, sir."

"You still need to loosen yourself up, but that's the attitude I want you to present in space. But before you do, I want you to go into Moscow." He turned to look out the window. "Since the colonies distrust anything military, the people there will be of some help if you announce your arrival there."

She saluted, "Yes, sir."

_________

_Space Knight HQ_

"Hey Natasha, this came in for you."

Natasha looked at the package Goliate had and opened it. Inside was a small letter. It was an invitation to a party in one of the palaces of Moscow. Natasha frowned slightly before ripping the invitation in half.

"What was it?"

"It's nothing."

However, that didn't stop Goliate from picking up the pieces and examining them. "Hey, this is a..."

Natasha cut him off, "I know what it is. Not interested."

"But why?"

"I don't need their pity." With that, she walked out.

___________

_Moscow__..._

A limo rolled up and parked in front of a large palace. As the attendant opened the door, Relena stepped out and looked up at the large building. She then strode toward the entrance where she could see a large party taking place. Another attendant held a hand out before her.

"Excuse me miss, but do you have an invitation?"

"No." she said simply.

"I'm sorry, but this is a reception for specially invited guests. I'm afraid I can't let you enter."

"Catherina...?"

The voice came from an elderly man who had walked by the exit. He turned around and quickly came toward Relena, a smile clear on his face.

"It is you." Relena smiled at him as he warmly held her hands, "I'm glad that you could make it."

The attendant was dumbfounded, "You know the host?" Turning to the elder, "Oh, I apologize, Mr. Marqius. I didn't know she was a guest."

The man simply held a hand up, "It's quite alright. A beautiful young lady would seem strange in a party of elderly people such as myself. Although, I invited another. But it seems that she will not be arriving."

With that said, both Relena and the man known as Weridge Marquis entered the ballroom.

__________

_Nearby OZ base_

"Col. Zechs. There is a spatial anomaly forming in the RSS point of the Asia area. We believe it may be Radham."

Zechs ordered through the intercom, "Signal the nearest unit of that area. I want..."

"Col. Zechs. We've received a coded transmission addressed to you. PCFT."

Zechs blinked. _PCFT.__ It must be..._

"Transmit it here."

_________

Relena and Weridge spent the time dancing and talking about old times. When they had finished dancing, Weridge led Relena to a seat and then sat down himself.

"You would fit in well as a Peacecraft."

"You know the Peacecrafts?" Relena asked.

Weridge nodded sadly, "Long ago. They were the ruling family of the Cinq Kingdom and very good friends as well. But some years ago, the Kingdom was destroyed."

"What ever happened to the Peacecrafts?"

"Most unfortunate. There are always those who wish nothing but peace, and those who wish to gain everything from war. The House of Peacecraft was the former, and the Alliance was the latter. They said it was a Radham invasion, but I know otherwise. The Kingdom was long destroyed before they arrived there."

"The dove was killed because it disagreed with the hawk..." Relena hesitated, "And then it was left to the vultures."

"Nowadays, people try to settle thing with warfare. Which reminds me, where is that OZ representative?"

"OZ?"

"Yes. I wanted to speak with their leader Trieze, but instead he is sending me a representative. I believe that's her now."

Lady Une entered the ballroom, accompanied by several other OZ soldiers. At this, everyone froze up and the music stopped. However, Une simply turned to the crowd.

"Please continue. I was invited here."

Slowly, the music continued and everyone did as they were before, only more cautiously.

Weridge whispered, "Roses don't go with military suits. It's the kind of flower for a sweet lady like you, Relena."

Lady Une looked around the crowds briefly before her gaze fell upon Weridge, who had stood up from his seat along with Relena. "Marquis Weridge. I am his Excellency Trieze's representative. My name is Lady Une." She held her hand out to a nearby seat, "May we chat for a while?"

"Of course, but before we do, I would like my granddaughter to wear that rose you are wearing."

"Of..." Lady Une was suddenly shocked at seeing Relena once again. "You?"

"I'm sorry grandfather, but that rose wouldn't look good on me either. What would be good is the red of OZ's blood."

Suddenly without warning, Relena pulls out a handgun and points it at Une.

"For my father!"

Relena fired a shot, hitting Une's ornament rose and shattering it to pieces. Without wasting another second, Relena turned around and ran out of the exit.

"After her!" She is about to give chase, but Weridge steps right in front of her, standing in her way.

"Marquis! What are you doing?"

"The only thing I can do. Which is far little compared that girl's courage."

While he was yet speaking, others joined with him, creating an effective blockade

"What?"

"It would seem that they agree."

Before Lady Une could do anything else, another soldier came in from behind her.

"Lady Une. A Radham force has entered the city and heading in your direction."

Une gritted her teeth, "Damn it. You three go around after her. The rest of you will come with me."

Marquis watched as they left off. _'That courage... That's what's needed in this time of chaos. She taught me a good lesson tonight.'_

_______

Zechs had strode onto the command room of the base and asked the nearby soldier.

"What city is the anomaly forming?"

The soldier replied, "I believe it's the Moscow area."

"Moscow." _Oh no._ "Send out a unit for Moscow. We need to get there as soon as possible. I will lead myself."

"Yes sir."

Zechs then turned his attention to another soldier, "Is Lt. Noin in the area?"

"Yes. She's currently leading an Ares squad to the location."

Zechs turned and began to walk out, "Patch through to her and channel it to the Tallgeese."

"Roger."

__________

"There she is!"

The two soldiers had managed to catch up to Relena and grab hold of her. Relena tried to escape their hold, but they held on to her tightly.

"Give up!"

Relena continued to struggle and managed to hit one of them in the shin, but not hard enough for him to let her go.

"You little brat!"

"Let go of me!" Relena screamed.

The soldier raised his rifle, ready to knock her out with the butt of the gun when a low humming sound echoed throughout the street.

"What was that?"

Looking to the sky, they saw an object flying straight at them rapidly. The soldiers where able to recognize it immediately.

"Radham!"

Relena manages to break the hold and run while the soldiers panicky raised their rifles and fired. The bullets did absolutely nothing as the creature charged and brought its lancer down in the two victims. It began to look around for its third prey when a sound rumbled from above. Looking up, it saw a white object fall out of a carrier plane and come at it. Locked on its new target, the alien tekkaman swooped at him, only to have its arm blasted off by a high level quantum rifle. Tallgeese swooped in on it and rammed it backward, knocking it off of its carrier and pushing it into the concrete. The creature snarled and let loose a Voltekka, but Tallgeese was much too fast and dodged it without a problem. The Radham picked up its lancer and flew up while Tallgeese pulled out his own. They clashed in the air and struggled. However, Zechs was far from finished.

"You won't beat me. Not if that's all you got."

Tallgeese fell back a bit and then in one shove, he pushed it away. While the Radham was still dazed, Tallgeese stabbed him in the midsection. The creature gargled and Tallgeese pulled back, ripping it up further. Tallgeese watched as the alien monster fell to the Earth.

_'I hope she got to her before they did.'_

Unfortunately, this prevented him from noticing another come up from behind him. A lancer slashed across the back of Tallgeese, damaging it. Zechs growled. _'How could I have been so careless? I'll not make that mistake again.'_ Tallgeese powered up and flew straight at it, but a beam of light halted his advances. A blade had ripped through the creature and it fell in half. Standing behind the split carcass was a white and pink tekkaman; Tekkaman Vesna.

"A Space Knight? What are you doing here?"

"My job." Vesna shot back and took off. Zechs watched her go. _I see. Well if that's how it is, I won't get in your way._ With that, Tallgesse shot of to find prey of his own.

Meanwhile, Relena had run around the corner and into the next street, but was stopped when a gloved hand came out, grabbed her and pulled her back. Relena was about to struggle, but the hand let her go just as suddenly. Just then, another Radham tekkaman flew down the very street Relena was about to enter. Relena looked at her savior, a dark haired woman wearing a white cloak around her left shoulder.

"That was careless of you. Must be a family trait."

Relena examined her uniform, "You're with OZ?"

Before the woman could respond, Relena raises the gun once again. Noin merely stares into the barrel.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to harm you. In fact, I came to protect you, Ms. Relena Peacecraft."

"Protect me? Why should I believe that? Who are you?"

"My name is Lucreiza Noin. I was sent...by your brother."

Relena lowered the gun, "My...brother?"

"Yes. Like you, he had been in hiding and living with another identity, Zechs Marquise. But he is really Millardo Peacecraft, you older brother. I work with him. He's up there right now fighting the Radham."

Relena stared upward to see a sole white Sol-Tekka dashing through the Radham.

"My brother." she whispered.

Noin stepped up to her, "Come on. We have much to discuss."

________

_While Relena is safe and in the custody of Noin, plans for OZ to move into space begins.__ Aki, Dead and Natasha visit the Space Ring when they run into an old ally, the god of death himself. However another battle between the Radham and OZ causes them to fight together once more. Next on Gundam Tekkaman:  The Space Ring Crossfire._


	23. The Space Ring Crossfire

Disclaimer: You already know.

_This one may be a little rushed, I believe. Sorry._

Chap. 23

Natasha was on her way to the Control Room. Chief Aki had called her in for an assignment after she had returned from Moscow. _Why did I go in the first place?_ She knew why she was invited. But she didn't want to be around people who would only show there condolences just because they knew her father. They didn't know a thing about her. _Why even bother with it at all? _Convinced, Natasha enters the room only to find the Chief there.

"Where are the others?"

"I only summoned you." Aki began. Natasha was a little puzzled by this, but kept it to herself as Aki went on.

"Currently, we have developed a new system for the energy cannons aboard the Orbital Space Ring that would be better for fending of Radham attacks. However, given the current situation and the recent increase of attacks, we decided that it would be best for it to be brought there first-hand. Therefore, I'm sending you to the Space Ring to deliver the program." She paused. "Dead End will accompany you."

_'What?'_ "Dead? But Chief, is that really necessary?"

The decision has already been made, Natasha.

_'This has got to be a joke. A really cruel joke.'_ "But why Dead?"

"He has less experience in the field aside from his fights with the Radham. If he is to be a effective Space Knight, he need to learn other skills as well. If you have a problem, I can assign someone else."

Natasha stayed silent for awhile. She didn't like this. But she didn't want to seem incapable of dealing with this. _This isn't going to stop me._

"No. No problem."

"Good. Then I expect you two to be ready and report to the docking bay in a few hours."

"Yes Chief." Natasha turned, but Aki spoke out again.

"I understand your feelings, but find a way to co-exist with him. That's an order."

_'Damn.'_ "Yes, Chief."

-------------

_'A lot of trouble for a simple delivery'_ Natasha thought to herself as the shuttle zoomed into space. She watched as the massive space ring loomed into view. Not that she couldn't see it from Earth. But it seemed a little...unnatural for something like this to be circling the Earth. Natasha gave a mental sigh. She wished she had someone to talk to right around now. Goliathe, Anita, David, hell, even Yumi. Anyone, but him. Another sigh. _I might as well try. If David can be friends with him, then it can't be too bad. What's the worse that could happen?_

Flashback...

_My father destroyed your hometown. Do you still think I'm not worth it?_

_What?_

_My father was General Pablochiva. Chief of military staff. Recognize the name? You should. He was the one planned the destruction of __Prague__ colony._

_What?!_

_He was the one who gave the order. He was the one who turned your colony into space debris. Well, do you still think I'm not worth it?_

_DIE!!!!!!!!!_

Flashback End

That was pretty bad. If not for David and D-Boy, Natasha would have been killed on the spot. But still, that didn't make anything better, even if he was a Space Knight. Natasha shook her head. _No. If I'm to work with him, then at least I have to find a way to co-exist with him._ She locked the ship on auto-pilot and went to the cargo hold. As she opened the door, she could clearly hear music within the dimly lit room. Sitting on the floor, Dead was playing a song on his harmonica. Natasha was still a little edgy, so she waited until he finished playing. Dead stopped, but didn't look up at her.

"We're almost there."

"Uh, huh."

_'Well, it's a start.'_ "That's an interesting song."

Dead twirled with the harmonica a bit. "What's so interesting about it?"

Natasha was confused, "Huh?"

"What is so interesting about a song of death?"

"A song of...death?" This was definitely not the way Natasha wanted things to go.

Slowly, his eyes raised and pierced through his emerald hair, "You wouldn't understand. Ever." 

Natasha now frowned. _'Here I am trying to be civil and he acts like that?'_ "Forget it." she scowled. "Just be ready in a couple of minutes."

Dead merely gazed back at his instrument, "Sure."

Natasha stormed out of the cargo bay, leaving Dead alone who was softly chuckling to himself.

The two knights had finally arrived at the ring. However, neither of them exchanged a single word as they went through the few crowds to reach their destination point. As they walked, a figure passed by them, wearing a black cap. The person brushed past Dead, but Dead was able to get a glimpse of the person.

_'Duo?'___

-------------

Space Knight CC

"Hey, did Natasha get back yet?" Goliathe asked as he walked onto the repair deck.

"Yeah, but she's gone." Anita answered, "Chief sent her on a mission."

"So soon?"

"Dead is with her." Yumi added while working on Alpha.

"He is?" Goliathe didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for his comrade. _'Oh, boy.__ Sounds like she should have stayed in __Moscow__.'_

-----------

Duo Maxwell was looking at the flight schedule to the L2 colony. After his and Quatre's escape, Quatre decided to return to his home colony. Duo decided the same, but told him that he would contact him once he was done. _Hmm.__ It shouldn't take too long to get there._ Duo frowned a bit. It would have been simpler for him to tek-set and fly to the colony on his own. But he didn't want to risk getting caught by OZ. _Oh, well. It could be worse..._

"Well, well, well. It's a small universe after all."

Duo didn't have to turn. He knew who it was for two reasons. One, he recognized the voice and two, his tekka-set glimmered. Duo turns around with a jovial face to find Dead standing there by himself.

"Dead End. It's been awhile. What brings you here?"

Dead gave a grin of his own, "Business. I've heard you guys have been pretty busy."

"You can say that. So now what?"

"Hmmm. I don't know. You're not exactly my enemy, but you owe me."

Duo gave a small laugh, "As much as I would love to, I'm afraid we'll have to put that on hold.

"And what if I say, you don't have a choice?" Dead replied before taking out his tekka-set knife. Duo blinked, but his expression didn't change and his own tekka-set materialized in his hand.

"That may be a different story, now then?"

However, before any of them could make a move, the Space Ring suddenly shook. Residents began panicking and running away. Looking up, both Dead and Duo saw a Radham mothership in the distance. Beams were shooting out of it at the Space Ring as the aliens began to flood out. 

"I guess you get away again, Maxwell. Tek-setta!"

Dead raised his knife/crystal and shot through the Ring, transforming into the powerful Tekkaman Dead. With a loud cry, he shot through the first wave of Radham, obliterating them within a few passes. Stopping briefly, he took out his lancer and began hacking away.

Inside, Natasha had just run out after delivering the program. She had long noticed that Dead was gone, but didn't care. It seemed better that way. Now looking out and seeing him in battle, she thought otherwise. _'Damn, can't one good thing happen today?'_

"Tek-setta!"

Natasha swooped out though the Space Ring as well, transforming into her alternate form.

"Tekkaman Vesna!"

Vesna flew near the Space Ring and fought any of the Radham that came close. Meanwhile, Dead was still doing his job of slicing them away a distance away. As the two tekkamen fought, Duo watched from his spot.

_'This looks bad. Without Gamma, Vensa is going to run out of energy soon. And Dead is in no position to support her.'_

As he thought this, it began to come true. Vesna found herself forced into fighting on the Space Ring itself, battling away from the civilian sectors, but still getting hammered. And Dead was too preoccupied in his own fight to notice.

_'One of these days, I'm not going to be a nice guy. I mean it.'_

Sighing to himself, Duo resigned his fate and raised his crystal.

"Tek-setta!"

------

Vesna stood bent on the Space Ring column, partially damaged and very much fatigued, but fighting nevertheless. She saw Dead fight in the distance and scowled to herself. _I don't need his help. I'll fight on my own if that is the case._ Several Radham landed on the Ring around her and came charging. Vesna ducked low and went they were close enough, she leapt upward away from the Ring as the creature crashed into each other.

"Voltekka!" she cried, sending a massive beam of energy at the bunched aliens and blowing them all away. However, one of them had slammed her from the back and she crashed back into the Space Ring. She got up again, but slowly and the alien came barreling at her. _'They just don't seem to quit.'_

Shhhrrrrkkkkkkkk!!!!!

Vesna gasped as the Radham were suddenly torn to pieces right in front of her eyes. However looking around, she saw no one at all. And Dead was still fighting elsewhere so it couldn't be him.

"Nice to see you again, good-looking."

_'That voice.'_

The space before her materialized into the dark form of Tekkaman Deathscythe.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just happened to be in the neighborhood." Deathscythe responded while bringing his lancer scythe down on another Radham. He then shot of into the sky and continued hacking away. Meanwhile, Dead had finished off his group and noticed Deathscythe fighting. He then looked upward at the Radham warship and swooped toward it in a flash of purple light. He didn't stop as he approached and he shot right through it like a bullet, causing it to explode from the inside-out. He then returned his attention to the remaining Radham, who were currently getting slaughtered by Deathscythe and Vesna. It wasn't until later that other beams of energy shot out and hit the Radham. Looking to the side, Dead saw a large force of OZ Leo Sol-Tekkas entering the battle and pretty much finishing off what was left of the Radham. The Sol-Tekkas then turned their attention to Deathscythe.

"Gundam Tekkaman. Surrender at once."

His reply was a dark laugh followed by a slicing through two of the Sol-Tekkas. The remaining unit fired and Deathscythe saw that he didn't have to energy to fight them all now. _'I really hate myself.'_ Deathscythe then swooped up into the star and he shimmered and disappeared while the OZ soldiers gave chase. Dead shook his head and then rejoined Vesna, who was still bent on the Ring. Slowly, Dead gave his hand, but Vesna slapped it away.

"Back off. I can get up on my own."

Dead gruffed a "Suit yourself" and then flew inside the Ring. Vesna did manage to stand, but she knew she wouldn't be able to fight for awhile. Not until she got the proper rest. She muttered a few curses to herself as she flew into the Space Ring. But as the two tekkamen left, a silent figure was watching them a distance away.

_'Getting them to work together may be more difficult than I thought.'_

_______________________

_OZ has entered into the field of space with their advanced Taurus Sol-Tekkas, capable of weakening tekkamen and gundam. Meanwhile, Quatre has returned to his home colony only to find that OZ is now in control and that the colonists have rejected the gundams that fought for them. In a tragic end, Quatre is driven to the brink and reveals a new factor. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Betrayed by home far away_


	24. Betrayed by Home Far Away

Disclaimer: The same as before. If you've been keeping up, then you know this already.

Chap. 24

In a darkened chamber room, only a single monitor is active. It is displaying OZ Sol-Tekkas and battleships moving into space. Already, many of ships were shipping off away from the space fortress Barge and toward the outlining colony. A lone figure watches it all from his control room. His appearance was framed with a long pointed nose and wide mop hair. _'They are moving faster than I thought.'_ It was then that the doors behind him opened and a group of soldiers entered in.

"You are under arrest. Put your hands up immediately."

The sharp-eyed scientist didn't resist as the OZ soldiers captured him. _'I guess I'll be joining the other sooner as well.'_

----------

While Duo was still at the Space Ring, Quatre had already departed for colony L4. From the distance, he could see that the colony was in good order. L4 was one of the few colonies that didn't suffer greatly from the Radham attacks. Quatre could see the usually Alliance military forces around it and he wondered if they knew about what had happened on Earth. _Most likely_, he thought, _'Otherwise they wouldn't have increased their patrols. Wait a minute...'_ Quatre took a closer look at the Sol-Tekkas. _Those are...OZ Sol-Tekkas. I'm too late.'_

Just then, an open broadcast appeared on the monitor of the shuttle.

"We, the colony citizens have been oppressed by the Earth Alliance for long enough. But now the Alliance has paid for it actions, due to the forces of our newest ally, the elite soldiers of OZ."

_'What? Allies?'_

'Therefore, we have now aligned ourselves with the OZ forces. But the gundam tekkamen have been straining our efforts. Thus, these troublemakers are rejected by the colonies and will be apprehended on sight."

The monitor then flickered, showing the image of Lady Une. However, she looked completely different. Her hair was now let out and loose and her face was no longer the cold ruthless woman of before, but a new, compassionate woman.

"People of space, do not be afraid of the Allies' oppression anymore. You're free now. Let's build a new era with OZ."

The broadcast ended, leaving Quatre with a look of betrayal on his face. _'They...this...can't be happening. We fought for them. Heero died for them. And this...it has to be a trick._ Quatre looked back at his home. _'I guess I'll find out.'_

-----------

_Space..._

Deathscythe was still flying through space. The OZ soldiers from the Space Ring were still chasing him. _'These guys are persistent, I'll give them that.'_ As he continued to fly, another battleship appeared before him, dropping off seven new objects before him.

_'What are those? Sol-Tekkas? I've never seen those before.'_

The seven machines he saw were sleek, aerodynamic and dark-colored. On their shoulders were black crystals that seemed to radiate with energy.

"Gundam Tekkaman 02. Surrender at once."

_'You think these guys would come up with some new lines at least. Those must be the new Taurus Sol-Tekkas I've heard about.'_ The machines came closer and Deathsythe suddenly vanished. The Sol-Tekkas stopped and began searching around. Suddenly one of the Tauruses was slashed in half.

"I know you guys are just doing your jobs. But anyone coming close to me is gonna get it!"

Deathscythe then swooped to the next one, but he suddenly stopped. _'What's going on? My energy is being...drained.'_ Looking up, he saw the black crystals were resonating and he was getting weaker. _'Those...crystals...disruptors!'_

Deathscythe tried to fight, but his attempts were slowed down and the Tauruses fired back. Deathscythe was forced back as the Tauruses moved closer. But before they could move closer, Deathscythe's shoulder panels opened, exposing the Voltekka cells.

"Voltek..!"

Before he could fire, one of the Tauruses fired its energy cannon, blasting one of shoulder cells. Deathscythe reeled back, screaming in pain. If that wasn't bad enough, another blast fired, hitting the scythe and knocking it away. Deathscythe looked at his arm, which was now bleeding and burned. Deathscythe looked as the Sol-Tekkas began moving in.

_'Guess, I have no...choice__...but to...copy...Heero's move.'_ Deathscythe's head crest began to flicker and blink, but it then stopped abruptly. _'Damn. Don't have...the energy...everything's...getting...dark...Ughhhhhh.'_ Deathscythe slowly blacked out and stopped moving and the Tauruses moved in and captured him.

"This is unit 6. We have captured Gundam 02. Bringing it in."

-------

_Colony L4_

Quatre is on a limo heading for his home within the colony; a large marble colored mansion. As he approaches, he can see a mass of people in front of the building with signs and posters against his father. As the gates closed behind him, Quatre thought about his trip to Earth.

_Flashback..._

_"Quatre, I forbid it. You can not go through with this. Fighting is not the way."_

_"I'm sorry. But it's the only thing I can do to stop OZ."_

_"But the process is dangerous. You may not even survive it. Radham technology is not something to be toyed with."_

_"I've been assured that I'll be just fine. I'm sorry, father, but I have to go."_

_Flashback End..._

Quatre looks up at the building as he exits the car and takes a deep sigh. He then entered the house and looked around, but no one was there to great him.

"Quatre!"

Quatre looked up the stairs and smiled as his sister, Irene who ran down and embraced him.

"My dear little brother. You're back."

Quatre returned the hug, "It's good to be back. Where's father?"

Her smiling face slowly disappeared, "He's been busy. Ever since OZ came, people have wanted to use the resource satellite to start making weapons. But father didn't approve and now everyone hates him for it."

"Weapons? Has everything gone crazy?"

"It would seem so."

Quatre blinked and turned to the sound of the new voice. His father stood right behind him. His hair was darker than Quatre's and the front locks were off on one side. However, the facial features of the two were similar enough.

"How was you trip?"

Quatre looked down, "It went well for awhile. But then everything went upside-down."

"I see."

He said nothing more after that and what followed was a period of uncomfortable silence. Fortunately, Irene was there to break it up.

"Take a look at this." she said, indicating to the TV monitor, "They've captured one."

Both men turned to the monitor to see several OZ soldier hold a young man in there clutches. He was wearing drab clothing and he looked beat up. Quatre's eyes widened.

_'Oh, no.__ Duo.'_

--------------

_Space Knight____Command____Center__.___

"Hey, look who it is."

The group of Knights was gathered around the vid-screen when the report of Duo's capture came up.

"Hey that's Duo." David said out loud. "Looks like he got caught."

Yumi half gasped, "But how were they able to get him? He's a tekkaman."

---

_D-Boy's hidden office_

D-Boy handed over a document he had to Aki, who began skimming through it. When she looked up at him, he answered her unsaid question.

"The Taurus Sol-Tekka had the ability to weaken a tekkaman."

Aki was now visibly surprised, "How is that possible?"

D-Boy looked down, "OZ managed to replicate the disruptor crystals. The same type that shattered my crystal before. Only these are powered with the Sol-Tekka suits."

Aki gave a solemn nod, "It must be powerful to be able to affect gundamium armor. What does this mean for us?"

"I don't know yet. But there is an even worse issue discovered." He turned toward the screen. "I received a transmission. OZ has also constructed something called a Doll system. It is a Sol-Tekka that has no human pilot and can operate on its own through use of a computer. They based it off the cerebral imaging found in the Radham."

"That sounds dangerous."

"It does. Such technologies...all Radham." he then muttered softly, "Will this curse ever end?" D-Boy shook off his despair and faced Aki, determination in his eyes. "I don't think we can sit still for much longer. We may to have to intervene soon."

Aki strode forward, "But isn't that against what we are to do?"

D-Boy's head dropped again, "Fighting the Radham will always be our top mission. But we can not let other powers destroy innocent lives in this. If that happens, it'll be no worse than the Radham."

Aki continued to move until she right in front of him. She knew him better than anyone. She could see that despite the determination, he wasn't sure of himself right now. Slowly, she moved into his arms and held him in a soft embrace.

"D-Boy..."

He held he back, "I know...I'm worried too."

--------

_L4 committee hall_

Mr. Winner had gone down to the L4 committee meeting to address the issue of the resource satellite. He had been informed that OZ wanted to use the satellite in the construction of new Sol-Tekkas in order to increase their protection of the colonies. But Winner knew it was wrong to use the resource in such a fashion and had gone to try to reason with the committee. Sufficient to say, the meeting was not going well in his favor.

"Please listen to reason. We can not let the satellite be used in that way."

"Who do you think you are?" One of the members shouted. "That it a public resource and we will use it as we see fit, with or without you."

Winner however was not backing down, "But for weapons? It's just foolhardy."

"So now were fools? Would you prefer us under the Allies yoke, while you live it up in your cozy little mansion, is that it?"

Winner shut his eyes. _'This isn't getting anywhere.'_ "Please..."

The head chairman stood up, "We've heard enough, Winner. The decision stands. OZ will be allowed to use the resource satellite as they see fit."

The committee agreed with him and broke out in cheering while Winner turned and left in silence. I can't let this happen. It will only strengthen OZ's hold and we may be in worse times than from that of the Alliance.

A plan formed...

------

_Winner estate..._

"Where's father?"

Irene had just entered the house, "I don't know. After the meeting today, he just left."

Quatre's face grew worried, "I have a bad feeling. I feel it."

Irene looked at her younger brother. She was already nervous when her father disappeared, but now Quatre's words only serve to increase that. Like everyone else who had known him, she knew that Quatre was different; special. And it wasn't simply because he was a tekkaman or even a gundam tekkaman. It was a hidden ability about him, a sense of things. Quatre noticed his sister's fallen expression and quickly shot in...

"But maybe it's nothing. I'm sure he's fine."

Irene smiled, noticing that he only said that to help her with her feelings. "You're too kind, Quatre."

Quatre smiled back, but it was cut short when one of the servants entered the scene.

"Master Quatre, there's a serious problem."

------

_Resource Satellite..._

Winner had just entered the control room of the satellite. Moving quickly, he started the control panel and be operating. After the failed meeting, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He planned on moving the satellite away and then detonating it in deep space. He knew it was rash, but it was better than the alternate. _'I'm no better than Quatre'_, he mused to himself. _'I guess like father, like son, heh.'_ As he continued, the satellite began to drift away from the colony and slowly rocket away. As he continued, the communication link sounded nearby and he answered it. On it was the worried face of Quatre. He and Irene were on a shuttle heading for the departing satellite.

"Father, what are you doing?"

Winner answered as he continued to work, "This resource satellite can not be used for weapons. I'm going make sure of that."

Irene yelled from nearby, "Quatre, they're arming the laser cannons!

Quatre whirled, "What?! They can't be serious!" But at looking outside the shuttle window, he could see the sparkles of the laser cannons powering up. Quatre turned his panicked face to the screen, "Father, get out of there. They're going to shoot you!"

But Winner continued his work and the satellite drifted further away. The light of the cannons grew even more and the beams finally shot out. The satellite was pierced by the beams and in moments, the entire satellite exploded in a flash.

"Father!!!! NO!!!!!"

 The shockwave rattled the shuttle, send both Quatre and Irene hurling from their seats. Quatre hit the floor, hurt, but okay. But Irene hit her back on the wall and was hurt badly. Quatre rushed to check on her, but as he held her, the memory of what just occurred came back at him. _Father...He's...he's..._

Tears formed in Quatre eyes and he shut them and let them fall. But a soft hand reached up to him. Opening his eyes, he saw Irene half-conscious, but alive. He quickly held her hand as she spoke.

"Oh, Quatre. You're crying. So kind, just like father. Father was...so kind." Her eyes began to close again. "But why? He...didn't...deserve this...at all."

Irene fell silent and Quatre put her hand back down. The tears continued to fall, but only partially out of grief.

"Kind people shed tears, but right now the colonies are satisfied." A surge of anger hit him, "You people are satisfied with that?!" He bowed his head. "I will never forget this day."

He then looked up; eyes now void of...anything. "And I'll make sure that you don't either. Heh, hehehe.....hahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!"

Quatre's maniacal laughter sounded though the shuttle. As the laughter continued, his tekka-set shimmered, but he gave no note to it or to the object that had formed on it.

_Another tekka-set emblem..._

____________

_As news of Duo's plight is spread, Lady Une begins to search for the other tekkamen while she has already captured their creators. Another Radham attack occurs and the Space Knights move into action, only to be faced with the Taurus Sol-Tekkas. Trowa intends to attack a massive OZ base, but upon learning of the disruptor crystals, intends to sacrifice himself as well. But he is then confronted by Catherine. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Catherine's Tears._


	25. Catherine's Tears

Disclaimer: You know the drill

Chap. 25

_Space Fortress Barge..._

"So these are the five scientists that created the gundam tekkamen."

Lady Une was currently looking through the profiles of the gundam tekkamen scientists. The last one, Dr. J had just been recently captured and they were all brought to the fortress.

"Yes sir. They were each found colony L1 through L5."

_'That would make sense. Those are some of the outermost colonies. The only one further was L7-Prague and that was destroyed.'_

The scientists were entered into the room and Lady Une examined them. Like the gundams, they were a strangely diverse group. Professor G had a wide mop hair, sharp nose and a scar. Doctor S had a black nose that looked like it was strapped on. The third, Professor H was a short man with upwardly pointy mustache. Master D was the tallest, with a broad, shaved head and face. The one up front, Doctor J, had weird glasses and a cybernetic hand. He spoke first.

"So you're Lady Une. The ruthless soldier of OZ."

She recognized the voice, "And you're the one who told that gundam to self-destruct."

"I did no such thing. But that is his way of fighting you."

Lady Une turned to the side, "You and your tekkamen have cased us a great deal of trouble. I should in fact kill you all right here and now. However, I find that the knowledge you possess may be of some use to us. In fact, I've learned that you were responsible for the construction of the Tallgeese as well as your theories that lead to the use of disruptors."

Professor G responded, "We had not given the disruptor much thought. Perhaps we should have."

She continued, "In any case, you five may be a valuable assert so I will make a deal with you. We want you to improve the Sol-Tekka suits. I'm sure that with your skills and knowledge on tekkamen, it shouldn't be difficult."

"And why should we do a thing like that?"

A feral grin crossed her face, "In return, we won't kill this one we've captured." She activated the monitor to reveal Duo who was in one of the prison cells below.

"And when we get the others, they will be imprisoned just as well, but with no risk to their lives. I could always kill you all and salvage whatever I can from his dead body, but this might be much better, don't you agree?"

The scientists looked to one another and solemnly agreed, "Very well. But he must be brought with us. We may need his DNA to help us in our work."

"As you wish. But I want this made clear. If there is even the slightest hint that you are trying otherwise, I will execute you and the gundams. Understood?"

"Crystal."

As they were taken back to their cells, Une spoke to one of the soldiers, "Once their usefulness has gone, kill them immediately."

The soldier gave a salute.

---------

_Space Knight HQ_

The familiar sounds of the alarms rang throughout the base, signaling the Space Knights to the briefing room, where Aki awaited them.

"Another fleet of Radham has appeared near Jupiter's orbit."

"They sure don't waste time, do they?" David commented.

"Jupiter? That's pretty far out, isn't it?" Yumi asked.

Aki nodded, "Yes, it is. But the force is too large in size to be a diversion. My guess is they plan to try to overwhelm everything. We have to stop them before they can gain a foothold."

"Roger."

--------

_Colony L3, circus.___

Trowa was examining the images on the new OZ base that was constructed within the colony as he waited for his time to be on stage.

_'The base is used for constructing Tauruses. It must be destroyed, but how? It would appear that it would take great sacrifices to stop OZ. And the base is well within the colony not to do any real damage.'_ He then looked out on the stage as the performers finished their acts and the crowds cheered.

"This will be my last performance." he whispered to himself.

Unfortunately, Catherine had come close enough to here his quiet voice

_'Last performance?'___

-----

"Ladies and gentleman. Our next performance is by Catherine Bloom, the knife-throwing wonder of the circus."

The lights shone on both Catherine and Trowa, who was wearing his clown suit and half mask. The two of them bowed to the cheering crowd before taking their places. Trowa stood on a circular board with his hands outstretched while Catherine stood on the opposite side, holding a couple of knives in her hands.

"Stand still, Trowa."

She tossed one and then another. Both projectiles hit the board, with only a few inches away from him. She then hurled two at once, coming even closer to his upper body. The crowd cheered louder at the spectacle and Catherine held up her last two knives.

"Come on, look a little scared." She whispered teasingly. "Or else how will I have any fun, my little doll?"

Trowa however, didn't react at all and simply stared blankly. Catherine noticed this strange behavior.

_'What's this? He's not afraid of anything. No. It's...death. He's begging for his death.'_

This realization was beginning to get to her and her hand trembled a bit. Recomposing herself, she repositioned her hand.

_'I don't understand it. You want to die, Trowa?'_

Finally, she reared back her hand and launched the final two. The knives flew straight at him and hit the board. Catherine gasped. Though it missed, the blades themselves were nearly touching his skin. Yet, he gave no reaction still. Trowa removed himself and bowed to the crowd and Catherine did the same, but was disturbed.

_'Nothing at all.__ Why does he want to die? What did he mean by his last performance?'_

_Later...___

After the show ended, Catherine sat atop one of the large crates. She spotted Trowa making his way to the exit.

"Leaving again, Trowa?"

Trowa didn't answer her as he strode by, but that didn't stop her. She jumped off the top of the crate and stood before him.

"What did you mean by your 'last performance'?"

The deep, silent eye stared right at her, "I won't be around much longer."

"What does that mean?"

Trowa continued on walking.

"Why do you want to die?"

Trowa stopped at the exit of the tent and turned his head slightly to her.

"Goodbye, Catherine."

The tent-cloth closed behind him as a shocked Catherine rushed toward him. However, he was nowhere in sight. But then she heard a slight sound and looked upward. There, in a stream of light was the Tekkaman Heavyarms.

_'He's...a tekkaman? I think he's one of those gund…_' It wasn't long before she pieced together the clues. _'Oh my god!__ Trowa, no!'_

With that, she grabbed a jeep and drove after him.

------

_Martian Orbit_

The Blue Earth's extra boosters allowed it to swoop through space at a rapid rate. But even so, it still took an hour and a half to reach the targeted area. The Radham had moved from Jupiter and had just exited the asteroid belt, heading toward Mars.

"Yumi, David, Natasha. You three will fight first. Dead, you have to stay behind for backup."

Dead shrugged, "Sure. I can deal with that."

David tapped him on the shoulder, "Hey don't worry. We'll leave some for ya, Dead."

Dead gave a slight grin, but it disappeared quickly on seeing Natasha's glare. Dead simply stared back as Natasha went into the docking port. Aki, noticing this, decided to speak.

"Dead, watch them in battle. If you study them enough, you will learn how to fight in a team battle more rapidly."

Dead looked at her briefly, almost insulted, but watching anyways. The three ships separated into space and the Space Knights went into action.

"Tek-setta!"

"Tekkaman Hiver!"

"Tekkaman Vesna!"

"Tekkaman Sommer!"

Immediately, the tekkamen went to work, hacking away at the Radham aliens while their carriers gave them cover fire. Despite being a small group, the Knights were performing flawlessly. Their experience in the previous battles allowed them to work as one solid unit, swiftly dissecting through the Radham like a needle through thread. But the Radham had the numbers on their side and continued coming.

"Dead, are you ready?"

Dead simply stood up and pulled out his knife...

"Tek-setta!"

The purple-black beam shot out of the Bue Earth and rematerialized into...

"Tekkaman Dead!"

Dead entered the fray and shot right through the Space Knights and into the Radham. Shreds of Radham trailed behind him as he continued his assault. Vesna growled at this.

"What is he doing?"

The Space Knights were now forced to follow Dead's lead. Surprisingly enough, it was more effectively and more of the Radham were being wiped out. However, they couldn't keep up with his type of speed and had to stay back a bit.

Vesna snapped, "Dead!"

Sommer called her attention, "Forget it. Let's just do our part." His attention then diverted away elsewhere.

"Looks like we have company."

The others turned to see several warships approaching them. They were OZ carriers and they launched a group of Taurus Sol-Tekkas. The Sol-Tekka units joined the battle and were quick in destroying the Radham. However, their presence also had a negative effect.

Sommer landed back on his carrier and knelt down a bit.

"David, what's wrong?" Anita asked from inside.

"I feel...weaker."

The same thing was happening to the others and they found fighting was becoming harder to bear. Even Aki felt the effects of the disruptor crystals from inside the Blue Earth

'Those Sol-Tekkas.' She suddenly shouted, "Space Knights, disengage immediately!

"We're still...ahhhhhhh!!!!"

Sommer was rammed by one of the aliens. Struggling, he stabbed the creature in the eyes and managed to escape out of it. Vesna flew to him.

"David, are you alright?"

"Yeah, but we've got to get out of here now."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Yumi!"

Turning quickly, they saw Hiver get blasted by a Radham Voltekka. The Radham tekkaman was about to attack again when it was blasted by a Taurus. As the Taurus moved on to its next target, the others went to Hiver, who wasn't moving.

"Yumi, answer me. Come on, wake up."

Sommer began to feel the strain from the disruptors more, but at the moment he didn't care. 

"Damn it. Damn them all! Rahhhhhhhh!!!!"

Sommer suddenly leaped up in anger and began to fly back into the battlefield.

"David, wait!" Vesna cried. But Sommer was too blinded by rage to listen or to even care. He wanted to destroy all of them. The Radham and the Sol-Tekkas. But his attack was halted when a form appeared before him. The Scarlet Tekkaman.

"David, stop."

"But Chief, look at what happened? If they weren't here..."

"I understand, but there's nothing we can do about it except get Yumi some medical attention. There's nothing we can do here."

Sommer clenched his fists harder and for a moment, he thought about going through the Scarlet Tekkaman. But reason and his decreased energy eventually caused him to calm down and return back. Dead joined up with them a moment later.

"What about the Radham?"

Aki didn't even turn back, "It's their problem now."

As the defeated Knights returned to Earth, Yumi was put in the medical bay on the ship on life-support. David looked down at her and shut his eyes in frustration while Dead looks from afar, anger in his own eyes.

_'Doesn't even matter if it's the __Alliance__ or OZ.__ The military still brings pain and misery wherever they go.'_

------

_L3 colony.___

The new base was perfectly situated within the colony in order so that no one could see its construction. Truthfully, it was there in order to hide its weapons, which were great in quantity. It was enough to hide its true forces from anyone.

_Except a gundam...___

The attack was immediate. By the time troops were launched, much of the base was demolished.

"Keep your guard up. If it is a gundam, we have to wait until the disruptors reduce its energy."

As the Sol-Tekkas moved through the rubble, shards of energy beam flew out of the wreckage and blasted them. As they exploded, Tekkaman Heavyarms moved out of the smoke and targeted the next set.

_'They possess the ability to weaken a tekkaman with those crystals, but they can't do any actual damage until they get close. Strategically speaking, long-range combat is the only way to effectively destroy them.'_

This proved true as the incoming unit were being wiped out by Heavyarms continual fire. However, the crystals on the Sol-Tekkas were still affecting him even from the distance and beginning to weaken his shots. With no other option, Heavyarms opened his Voltekka cells.

"Voltekka!"

The swarms of energy spread throughout the entire base, destroying everything in their path. Sol-Tekkas and building structures alike exploded in flashes of light and the entire base was completely destroyed. Heavyarms walked around a bit, but stumbled when he realized that his power was still fading. _'That means that backup forces are approaching. It's time.'_

Heavyarms body began to flash in light rapidly and he moved into the center of the base.

"No, Trowa. Don't do it!"

Turning his head, he saw Catherine enter through the rubble and run toward him. The flashing of light on his body though, continued to increase.

"Trowa, stop it now!"

Without thinking, she suddenly struck out and punched the armored tekkaman in the face. His head didn't move, but he did nothing else as he watched her. It was then that he noticed.

_'Tears?__ She sheds tears...for me?'_

"Don't be foolish." she half garbled before breaking out fully and crying on him. Heavyarms merely looked down on her and stopped flashing. The armor vanished away and Trowa embraced the weeping woman.

"It's alright Catherine. It's alright. Your tears...stopped me."

She looked up at his, tears still streaming down. Trowa simply looked back before his head snapped upward. She looked at him, confused. "Trowa?"

She turned to the same direction to see another squad of Tauruses coming straight at them from afar. Trowa released her and stood up to face them.

"It would be best if I surrendered."

Catherine stood up as well, "But Trowa...Huh?"

Trowa was a bit surprised as well, although his face didn't show it, as the Sol-Tekkas suddenly changed course and headed to one of the docking ports leading outside the colony.

"Where are they going?" Catherine wondered out loud.

Trowa continued looking and suddenly, his tekka-set crystal shimmered on his forehead. 

_'Wufei.__ He's out there.'_

He then turned to her, "I will have to leave again. My place would appear to be the battlefield."

"Trowa..." She then nodded, "Okay. But you better come back, okay?"

Trowa simply nodded and Catherine suddenly gasped now realizing that the boy had virtually no clothes on at all.

"Oop. I better get you some clothes before someone notices you. That's the last thing we need right now."

Unbeknownst to her, Trowa gave her a faint smile.

---------------

_Yumi__ is recovering in the medical bay after the last battle. Unfortunately, this arouses heated tensions between the team.  Meanwhile, Wufei battles alone and is captured along with Duo and transported to the Lunar Base were the scientists beginning construction of a new powerful Sol-Tekka. Seeing that his involvement with OZ has caused conflicting emotions, Zechs decides to leave, but not before he is attacked by swarms of the new Sol-Tekka Doll system. Heero also hears of the scientists capture and plans on destroying them along with the entire Lunar Base. Finally, Trieze Khusrenada receives an unexpected guest. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: The Lunar Base Infiltration._


	26. The Lunar Base Infiltration

Disclaimer: Same as before. But if you've been keeping up with this, you already knew that.

_AN:  Added Tallgeese Sol-Tekka to my web site. Check in fan-art._

Chap. 26

Far outside the L3 colony, a large force of Leo Sol-Tekkas and their carriers were getting destroyed left and right by a single gundam tekkaman. The dragon tekkaman, Shenlong went on a warpath, ripping through any opposition that came at him. It wasn't long before the Space Fortress Barge appeared in the far distance and with it a swarm of Taurus Sol-Tekkas. But that didn't stop Shenlong as he focused in on his next targets.

"I will destroy all of OZ!"

"A gundam! All units engage immediately."

As the Sol-Tekkas engaged the gundam, Lady Une was on a shuttle coming from the Lunar Base and approaching Barge. As the shuttle flew, the battle began to move toward them. As the shuttle pilot weaved through the battle, Lady Une got on the loudspeaker.

"Please stop. This fighting is not necessary."

Her call momentarily stopped Shenlong, "Huh?"

"There should be no battles in space."

Shenlong hesitated briefly before he was shot at again by the attacking Sol-Tekkas. 'The enemy is sly. And the people are with them. But I will never stop!'

With that, Shenlong continued fighting, despite Lady Une protests. As her shuttle entered the docking bay of Barge, the main cannon began to charge up. Meanwhile, Shenlong began to feel the effects of the disruptor crystals, but he continued on, oblivious to the charging cannon behind him.

"Fire the Barge cannon!"

The red glow erupted from the space fortress into a massive beam. Many of the Tauruses have been caught by the beam and exploded. Shenlong was caught in the midst of it and was fried. However he survived, but was severely damaged. Still holding his lancer, Shenlong stood ready, but knew he couldn't fight. And as the Sol-Tekkas came up to him, he thought to himself.

_'They would sacrifice their own so ruthlessly. They are no different than the Radham and that is why they don't belong in space.'_

------------

_Space Knight____HQ-____Medical____Center___

"So how is she?"

The team was in the waiting area outside the room where Yumi was kept. Anita had just come out after being told of Yumi's condition.

"Still unconscious. Med's say it'll be awhile."

David, who was by the window, grumbled, "Damn military. If they weren't there..."

Anita heard him, "It's alright, David. No one could have known that would have happened."

Hayato frowned from his seat, "Tell that to Yumi, if she awakens."

Goliate stood up from his seat, "Hey, I know you guys are worried about her. We all are. But arguing won't..."

"This is because of you." Natasha suddenly snapped at Dead, who was in the corner. "If you hadn't flown off on your own, then Yumi wouldn't have even gotten hurt."

"I did what I had to do." Dead answered simply.

Natasha snarled, "And as a result, Yumi was left unguarded."

Dead was now glaring openly at her, "For that matter, why don't you blame yourself while you're at it?"

Natasha growled and both of them looked as though they would come to blows. However, Goliate and Anita stood in between them.

"Hey, that's enough." Goliate answered, "Look, we're all tired and not thinking straight, so why don't we just turn in for the night?"

The two of them glared for a few minutes more before both going of in their seperate directions. David left as well and Hayato followed shortly after. They were unaware that their actions were watched by their resident engineer chief.

_'Oh boy.__ Looks like things can only go downhill from here. Please hold on Yumi.'_

-----------

Zechs sat within the Tallgeese, awaiting his incoming battle. After the battle in Moscow and his suspicion of saving Relena as well as teaming up with the Space Knight tekkaman, Vesna, the Romefeller Foundation tried the ace pilot. Despite his recent successes in battle, they suspected signs of rebellion and possible desertion on his part. Wanting to take no chances with a rouge OZ pilot, they decided to have him eliminated. However Trieze was able to convince them that if he should die, then it should be as a true soldier; in battle. They agreed with this and pronounced that they would launch their new Sol-Tekka dolls against him in order to do so as well as test the dolls power.

_'So those are the Sol-Tekka Dolls. The Foundation obviously doesn't want the Lightning Baron to survive.'_

The boosters on the Tallgeese flared to life and he charged into the battle. The Leo and Aries Dolls locked onto their target and fired. Tallgeese weaved and circled through the fire and began his attack. Using his cannon, he blasts the first three in rapid succession. But as he aimed for the fourth, the group shot away and came back.

_'Hmm. Reaction time is sped up. This will be tough.'_

Tallgeese shot back and fired at the incoming Sol-Tekkas, blasting two more. The Dolls then circle around his fire and shot back. Instinctively, Tallgeese shot to the left and then upward at high speed, dodging the fire completely but causing immense pressure to press against it. Inside, Zechs felt it hit him hard, but he continued to fight. Wanting to move faster, Tallgeese pulled out his sabre along with his cannon and flew into the thick of the fight. As he flew and attacked, the pressure against the Tallgeese increased and the few shots that hit him didn't help. Inside, Zechs was injured from the attacks as well as coping with the increase in pressure. His silver mask was cracked in several places, but he continued to fight fiercely against the relentless dolls.

_'The times have changed so radically. But Trieze still remains. This friendship of the past will last until the day my mask breaks.'_

Looking up, he saw a carrier approaching the battlefield, loaded with more Sol-Tekka dolls. Wasting no time, he zoomed upward and sliced right through the carrier. His sabre cracked, but it was enough to cut it in half. The carrier drifted back before exploding in the air. The shock from the explosion hit the Tallgeese and inside, Zechs' mask shattered revealing his true face. His eyes were a glassy blue and his platinum blond hair swayed behind him openly

_'And now, I can not be your friend anymore. Farewell, Trieze.'_

With that, Tallgeese rocketed off into the atmosphere and disappeared.

-----------

Duo lied, tied up in his cell, listening to the hum of the disruptor crystals above him. But he, being Duo, found that the hum was driving him crazy. So he decided to find a way to pass the time until he reached his new prison.

"Hey, come on." he called out of his cell. "Can I at least get a hot dog or something in here? Not too much to ask for, is it?"

"Keep quiet in there." a harsh voice called out.

Duo blinked. He didn't really expect anyone to respond and certainly not a girl's voice. As he looked out of his cell, he saw a young girl around his age with dark hair. She looked German in origin, but Duo wasn't sure.

"Huh? Who are you?

"Hilde Schbeiker. Sol-Tekka pilot."

"You're from the colonies, aren't you?"

Hilde frowned, "I told you to keep quiet."

Duo merely shrugged jovially, "Nothing wrong with a little conversation now, is there?"

The door opened and Duo backed away as Hilde trained a gun on him. "Don't push it, gundam. I can very well kill you right here and now."

Duo sat down, but wasn't afraid, "OZ is fooling the colonies, you know? They're only using the colonies to strengthen themselves."

"That's not true." Hilde argued. "OZ is giving people a chance to make something of their lives."

"You don't need OZ to do that. At least, that's what I thought. We fought for the colonies, but something happened and we wound up their enemy. I'm not sure what OZ is saying, but you can't trust them."

"And why should I believe you?"

The barrel of the gun now rested on his forehead. Yet Duo continued, "I may run and I may hide, but I never lie."

Hilde looked straight into his eyes and saw that he wasn't lying. At least not about the last part.

**_"Now approaching Lunar Base, docking port 16."_**

Hilde held her place for a moment longer before removing the gun from Duo's forehead. Without a word, she turned and walked out of the cell, sealing it behind her. However, her thoughts were now on their conversation.

_'OZ does people a chance...doesn't it?'_

------

Meanwhile, at an unknown computer terminal, a certain gundam tekkaman is currently locked into OZ's computer files and looking through a schedule report.

_'So now Wufei has been captured as well. Him and Duo, as well as the engineers.'_ Heero continued to read, _'Lunar Base...near the site of Omega's former base of his invasion on Earth. With OZ occupying that area, they could discover something dangerous. Either way, it must all be destroyed.' _He clicked the terminal off.

"Mission accepted."

-----

_Trieze's__ Estate…_

"Your Excellency...There is a man demanding to see you. We tried to get rid of him, but..."

Trieze merely smiled, "Well that's a first. Show him in."

The guard nodded and left the room. Moments later he came back with the visitor; an emerald haired man with dark shades. Trieze waved the guard off and the man closed the door. The two faced down each other for a few minutes before the man spoke.

"Trieze Khusrenada."

Trieze was indeed surprised, "So I finally get to meet the famous Tekkaman Blade, D-Boy." He moved to look out the window. "What brings you to my doorstep?"

"We at the Space Knights have noticed your improvement in Radham warfare."

"Hardly as much as what you do, but continue."

D-Boy continued, "I wish a coalition between us and OZ."

"That's quite a surprise. From what I understand, the Space Knights have no wish to join up with any military powers."

"That remains true. But due to the current events, even we can not deal with the Radham without crossing OZ path. This is simply a way for all of us to stay out of trouble and avoid any conflicts."

Trieze continued to look out the window, secretly probing D-Boy, "That sounds interesting. Are you sure this has nothing to do with the new Taurus suits?"

"On the contrary, this is more about your Sol-Tekka Doll program."

Trieze finally turned toward him, "I'm impressed that you know about that kind of info."

"I don't approve of what you are doing, Trieze. But I do not know your intentions, so I have no say. However, the Dolls are another story. Lifeless machines utilizing Radham nerve controls are more than dangerous." His eyes narrowed behind the shades, "It's foolish."

"I couldn't agree more. The Dolls are not of my doing, nor do I accept them. As for my intentions, don't be surprised if they come out to be the same as yours, D-Boy."

"That, only time can tell."

"Indeed. Nevertheless, I will grant your request. It sounds favorable enough. We can't have Space Knights fighting OZ soldiers and the Radham all at once now. However, you should be aware that my position within the Romefeller Foundation is somewhat shaky, so whether your request goes fulfilled or not will be uncertain."

D-Boy turned, "I understand. Thanks for your time."

D-Boy left and Trieze looked out the window again. _'Things seemed to have changed far more than I expected. What place in the future will you occupy, Blade?'_

------

_Lunar orbit..._

The captured Wufei was being brought in through another transport heading to Lunar Base. As he did, he took a glimpse at the approaching satillite. His tekka-set dully shimmered as he approached closer to the moon.

_'I see. Then I will wait. Nataku, you've shown me your strength. Now we must grow stronger.'_

--------------

_Heero__ has infiltrated the Lunar Base in order to assassinate the gundams as well as the engineers. However, he is captured as well by their newest soldier, Trowa Barton. Meanwhile, the engineers get to work on two new Sol-Tekkas that would prove to be extremely powerful, but secretly work on a plan of their own. Meanwhile, on Earth, Zechs has survived the battle and now heads for space under his true name, Milliardo Peacecraft. And the Space Knights are called together once again to investigate a possibly new Radham tekkaman, but instead find a former ally. Next on Gundam Tekkaman:  The Secrets of __Battle__._


	27. The Secrets of Battle

Disclaimer: Same as always. I don't own the characters (sigh).

Chap. 27

_Lunar Base.___

A dark shadow descends in one of the docking bays and disappears. A moment later, a guard passes by on his daily watch when a hand suddenly grabs him and pulls him in the back. No other sounds are heard as the soldier now come out, but it is not the same person as before. Looking up, Heero smoothly walked out of the area and toward his destination. As he did, he could faintly hear the loud explosion coming from the other side of the corridor, no, the base. Alarms were blaring off as soldiers ran toward the source, taking no consideration to the single soldier who was walking in the opposite direction. As he continued on his path, his tekka-set suddenly glimmered beneath the hat. But he didn't have time to consider who it was. Chances are it's one of the captured tekkamen. But seeing as how he was going to kill them all anyway, it didn't matter. His destination was more important. He walked down the adjourning corridor and into another room. It was there that he found what he was looking for.

_'The core.__ A few well-placed explosives should be more than enough.'_

Reaching into the jacket, he fingered one compact explosive device and moved on. As he walked, he calmly planted the device behind on of the power line. He did this two more times, but began to feel strange. The tekka-set had not gone away. Also, something else was amiss. Despite the explosion he set up, this was still the core. _'Shouldn't it be better guarded than this?'_ As he set about planting the next explosive, a sound came from behind.

"We have an intruder."

_'That voice...'_ Despite that, Heero's instincts went off and he swiftly grabbed his gun. But before he could pull it out, a soft click alerted him that the guy behind him was also holding a gun. Other soldiers then came in a surround the gundam tekkaman.

"We found these planted around here."

The soldier was holding the bombs that Heero had planted. The head soldier nodded.

"Well, it looks like we found the culprit. Good work, Cadet Barton."

Heero finally turned his head fully to see his captor. It was Trowa, also garbed in an OZ uniform. Unknown to the others, his tekka-set glimmered beneath his hair. Heero's eyes locked with his briefly and then he slowly dropped the gun and stood with his hands up. 

"Take his to the cell with the others."

"Yes, sir."

As the soldiers carried him off, Trowa simply watched them take him away. Then after awhile, he left off by himself.

---------

_Middle of the ocean, unknown_

"Good morning."

Zechs awoke inside a small cabin room. His arm was bandaged as well as his head, but he was alive. _'But how?'_ The last thing he remembered was leaving the battlefield at full throttle. _'I guess I pushed the Tallgeese once again.'_ Looking up, he saw a thin man with a Hawaiian shirt, hair on the sides of his head and dark triangular shades.

"You're finally awake."

Zechs slowly sat up and looked out the window. From the look of things, he was on some sort of barge ship. Piles of debris and parts were collected at one corner of the ship. Zechs turned his attention to the man.

"Who...are you?

"Name's Howard." He said simply. "I found you and that Sol-Tekka a bit a way's from here. Luckily, you were still alive so I and my men treated you. We also repaired your machine too."

Zechs blinked and stood up from the bed. Staggering to the door-side, he saw a nearby garage space on the barge. Within it, several technicians were working and polishing up the Tallgeese.

"She's a beauty, I'll say. Quite a machine really." commented Howard. He then looked to Zechs, "Oh, are you heading to outer space?"

Zechs looked at him strangely, "Space?"

Howard stepped toward the garage, "Yeah. Lots of commotion going on up there now a days."

Zechs looked from him to the Tallgeese. The white Sol-Tekka was fully repaired and there was more for Zechs to do now. Since space is now open, he would begin there.

"It would appear...that Tallgeese's strength would be needed there, in outer space."

Howard nodded, "I have a ship ready for you." He motioned to the side where Zechs saw a medium-sized ship. It looked like a standard Sol-Tekka carrier, but modified and brought down to size. "It's not much, but it can hold a Sol-Tekka. You can use it if you wish."

Zechs gave him a questioning look. He could believe that this guy was just being helpful earlier, but now he was giving out way too much just to help a guy they just picked up from out of nowhere. So it's only natural that Zechs would now be cautious.

"Why are you helping me so much?"

Howard shrugged, "Well, just wanted to help the guy who was able to tame that machine." Howard looked at the Tallgeese further, and Zechs was able to see recognition in his eyes. However, before he could ask him anything, Howard beat him to it.

"That reminds me, I didn't get your name."

He almost said Zechs, but stopped himself. His mask was no more; therefore Zechs Marquise is also gone as well. Killed in battle as befitting a true soldier. But without that, who was he now?

"My name's Milliardo Peacecraft."

----------

_Space Knight HQ_

The Space Knight's once again assembled for duty under Chief Aki's call. However, the one missing spot before them only reminded them of their injured comrade. Aki saw it in their eyes, even Dead's. But they had to get pass that and focus.

"Space Knights, you are to move out immediately. There are reports of a possible Radham tekkaman destroying facilities out in space. It hasn't been stopped and the few OZ forces that have been sent were destroyed."

"A single Radham tekkaman doing all of that?" Natasha voiced out. "That doesn't sound right."

_'So far, so good.'_ Aki thought. If it's one person she can rely on to be focused on a mission, it would be Natasha.

"No, it doesn't. It may be possible that this could be another human, so you are all to proceed with extreme caution."

They saluted, "Yes Chief."

As they silently walked out of the room, Hayato stopped and turned to the Chief.

"Chief, how is Yumi?

The others stopped as he asked the question, hoping for good report. Aki, gratefully, could give one.

"Yumi is better. She still needs rest, but she is expected to make a full recovery."

"Thanks Chief." With that, they continued on to their mission. Aki gave a brief smile at this, but she was still worried. Yumi may be fine, but that did little to ease the tensions in the air. Mostly between Dead and Natasha. But they couldn't afford to break up now.

----------

_Lunar Base..._

The five scientists were gathered around a table loaded with schematics of the Sol-Tekkas. They examined them repeatedly and began to put their genius to work.

"These Taurus are quite an interesting design." Prof. G stated, "They're fast, but weak. If not for the disruptors, they would have been destroyed easily by the gundams."

Dr. S agreed, "True. We'll have to work on the designs for power and defense while keeping the speed modifications."

Dr. J nodded, "Hmm. Speaking of modifications... He then turned to the guard, who was watching them from outside the lab. "We need you to bring one of the gundams."

The guard gave no replied and just glared sternly. Dr. J continued, "We need one in order to improve on the design for the neural networking."

The guard remained as he was for a brief moment before nodding to the guard next to him. He then turned back, "You will be watched. If you even try anything, you will be jettisoned into space."

Dr. J didn't show the least bit of worry, "Of course."

As the guard left, another one took his place to watch them. A familiar looking guard…

"Heero is here as well." he whispered and said nothing more. But that was more than enough for the scientist as he went back to his task. Dr. J grinned. _'So now four of them are here.__ But where is Tekkaman  Sandrock? Where is Quatre?'_

----------

_Space..._

The Blue-Earth 2 cruised through space, heading toward the area where they believe they would find the rouge tekkaman. Their destination was to an OZ resource satellite. They weren't equipped with any Taurus Sol-Tekka so the team would be fine to fight. But even still, Aki called in ahead to tell them of their presence. The officer in charge wasn't too thrilled with having them around, but he had his orders from Trieze. _'So D-Boy pulled it off after all.'_ As they soared on past it, a blink of light appeared within the light of the sun.

"There's an object approaching us." Natasha announced. "Fast."

"Magnify."

The scanners zoomed in to reveal a shear of light energy flying right at them. But the energy had a strange shape. It looked like a bird flapping its wings. _A crystal hawk…_

"That's it."

David shot up from his seat, "Then what are we waiting for?"

The others nodded and went into the cargo bay, leaving Aki behind.

"Tek-Setta!"

The adjourning ships separated as the three beams of light shot out of the Blue Earth.

"Tekkaman Vesna!"

"Tekkaman Sommer!"

"Tekkaman Dead!"

The three tekkamen boarded their carriers and waited for the arrival of their mysterious foe. However, the OZ satellite suddenly opened fire.

"What are they doing?" Sommer growled.

The beams rained down on the flying object and one of them caused an explosion. However, amid the explosion, the object continued to come. It then curved upward and the glowing faded away, revealing its true form. A tekkaman in a familiar color of white and yellow. One they all recognized.

"Quatre? That's Quatre?"

____________________

_Quatre__ has appeared before the Space Knights. However, he is not the same person as he displays new powers in a maniacal rage. On Earth, Relena reappears and begins to recreate the __Sank__Kingdom__. Milliardo now heads into space as the Sank Kingdom's ambassador, but meets up with resistance. Fera leaves for space as well on a personal mission. Her destination, the Lunar Base. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Sandrock Zero._


	28. Sandrock Zero

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Chap. 28

"Quatre? Is that you?"

The Space Knights gazed at the tekkaman they saw before them. He looked different than before. His back now sported two wing-like protrusions, similar to Wing's but larger.  Also, parts of his body were covered with smaller Voltekka cells. And the section were the eyes were at were covered, just like Dead's once was.

"Gundam, surrender at once!"

The Space Knights tuned to see an OZ force coming toward them. Aki frowned, _'Get back, you fools.'_

Sandrock didn't move at all and the OZ force began firing. However, their blasts were in vain as the tekkaman simply stood there.

"Heh. Hehehe. Hrrrrraaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!"

Suddenly, Sandrock sprang into action. The wings on his back open and he went into his crystal hawk mode. In no time at all, he zipped straight through the Leos and destroyed them instantly. He then circled around and began to fly toward the resource satellite.

"Stop him from destroying the satellite!" Aki ordered.

With that command, the Space Knights moved as well. They were well ahead of Sandrock so they were able to stand before him.

"Quatre, stop this." Sommer pleaded.

But the gundam didn't comply as it continued straight at them. At this rate, he will slam straight into them.

"He's still coming."

"We don't have time." Dead's lancer shifted shape and the Voltekka cells grew out of it.

Sommer reached out, "No Dead, wait!"

"Voltekka!"

The black beam ignited out and flew at Sandrock. But in the last second, Sandrock changed course and dodged the beam totally. They were only able to watch and the crystal hawk swooped high and then dove straight through the satellite. A thin beam of light showed it entry and then the entire satellite began to erupt with explosions before finally exploding altogether. The Knights could only watch as Sandrock flew away at the same speed.

Sommer spoke finally, "His power...his speed. I've never seen anything like it."

"Yes, we have." Vesna semi-whispered before turning to look at Dead. "He displayed the same powers as you, Dead."

Dead remained silent.

-----------

_Former Sank Kingdom..._

The palace towered over the quiet town. Despite the Radham attacks and other battle that had been waged on this place of peace, the palace itself was still standing. In front of these desolate walls, a pink limousine rolled up before the gates and entered through. It stopped right before the palace doors and the door of the car slid open. Relena stepped out onto the earth of her birthplace and looked up. The palace was in much for wear, but as long as it stood, it would be enough. Moss and other vegetation covered the marble walls, but the beauty was still there. And she would restore it to its previous state once again. This place will once again be the center of peace and hopefully, an example for the world to look after and follow.

"I'm home." Relena whispered softly.

------------

_Earth, spaceport_

"Are you sure about this? Going on a secret mission all by yourself?"

Fera nodded to Sally, "I'm sure. It's kind of personal."

Sally sighed, "Must be really big for you to leave like this."

"Don't worry." She waved her hand out, "You can handle things better now that I'm not slowing you down."

"You know I would never think that, Fera." Sally assured. The call came to board the ship and Fera prepared to leave. But Sally stopped her.

"But could you at least tell me something?"

Sally didn't like the idea of her friend going off to a potential dangerous mission without knowing something. She understood the secrecy, be it for personal reasons or safety reasons. But she had to be left with some sort of info.

"It's a promise I made for an old friend."

"That's good enough. Just try not to get yourself killed."

"I could tell you the same." Fera began moving to the transport and waved. "See ya later, Sally."

"See ya, _Milla__._" She whispered the last part.

Inside the transport, Fera sits back in her seat. As she watches the descending Earth and approaching Space Ring, she focuses on her mission. It was something she had wanted to do for a long time. She just hoped it wasn't already too late.

_'I'm coming, Noal. I'm coming for you.'_

----------------

_Earth Orbit..._

A ship has reached flight attitude and has broken through the atmosphere. Inside, Millardo Peacecraft sits back, looking at the stars as he heads past the massive Space Ring and into space. After he heard about Relena's move to restore the Sank Kingdom, he ventured out into space as its ambassador. It seemed a little menial, but it was important. And this would help Relena further with her plans of restore their home country, so he was all up for it. As the ship began to close in on one of the colonies, two OZ carriers flew straight at him.

"Unidentified craft. State you identity."

Millardo opened the comm. "This is Millardo Peacecraft. Ambassador of the Sank Kingdom. I wish only passage to the colony."

The guy on the other end sounded like her choked before responding, "I repeat, state your identity."

Millardo didn't respond. Obviously, these guys didn't believe a word he said. Which wasn't too surprising. An ambassador to an extinct kingdom of pacifists was something some soldiers wouldn't comprehend. Answering them again would probably be useless. But still...

"Milliardo Peacecraft of the Sank Kingdom."

A scoff was now heard and them, "Cease your approach and turn around."

Millardo half-frowned. He didn't have time for half-wit soldiers on sentry duty. He continued on his course.

"Craft, turn around or be destroyed."

But as he said this, Millardo was already seated in the Tallgeese. But the look of the carriers, he could see that they housed Sol-Tekka dolls. And after seeing how they were in action, they would total him. But not if he was ready for it first. The interlock bay in the ship opened and Tallgeese was ejected out. At seeing the white machine, the dolls were dropped as well. Millardo counted them off. Six machines, all moving in the same pattern. Which meant none of them had any humans inside. That made things much easier. As a Peacecraft, it would be bad if he was seen killing people. But fighting off dolls in self-defense was another story. The machines moved into action and so did he. As they came, he noticed another pattern within their charge. _'They move...like the Radham._' But he decided to dwell on that later, as the soulless machines began firing at him. Tallgeese swiftly weaved and dodged through the fire as he closed in. Hitting the venier boosters, he went full throttle and shot right past them and spun around in the same pass. Locked on, he fired his quantum energy cannon, destroying three of them. Millardo regarded this. _'It would seem that Tallgeese excels in space battle.'_ As the remaining dolls shot away to turn, Tallgeese followed, staying right behind them. Another shot destroyed another machine as Tallgesse continued to give chase. The machines suddenly split direction and both circled around behind Tallgeese. Tallgeese however, simply stopped moving and pulled out the metal saber.

_'Now we will see what these things are truly made of.'_

The dolls didn't respond in kind, as they began to resume firing. Tallgeese dodged the fire, but remained in the same area. When they were close enough, Tallgeese zipped forward, bearing the saber down on one of the rifles and cutting it in half. The machine stopped briefly and the saber curved up and slashed it in two. As it exploded, Tallgeese centered its attention on the last one, who was now charging at him. The two machines collided and Tallgeese flew back with it. Tallgeese managed to release itself form its hold and slashed down on the machine's arm. As the doll floated back damaged, the vernier thrusters on Tallgeese ignited once again and with a swinging arc, the doll was finished. Tallgeese then turned its attention to the carriers. The pilots inside panicked and tried to fly away, but Tallgeese didn't attack them. Rather, it turned and re-boarded its ship. On board, Milliardo walked up to the cockpit. There, a message was awaiting him. Opening the channel, he was a bit surprised by who it was. Lady Une. Only she was...different. He couldn't see any traces of the ruthless OZ soldier at all.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, ambassador. Security has been a little edgy recently. You may approach the colony. I will be there to greet you personally."

Milliardo was a bit skeptical about the offer. But her eyes held no deception and there was no real reason they would try to capture him. Milliardo Peacecraft was hardly a threat, at least that they know of. And his actions showed that he didn't want to fight anyways. He only destroyed the dolls. He left the soldiers alone.

"I appreciate the gesture. I'll meet with you inside."

Lady Une nodded and the connection was cut. Milliardo sat back as his ship entered the bay. _'Why would security be edgy? There aren't any threats aside from the Radham and they've hardly attacked, nor have they done anything seriously. And most of the gundams have been captured. So what has been happening up here?'_

---------------

_Space, unknown..._

A swarm of Radham is beginning to amass near the asteroid territory, reading for another attack. However, their plans would soon be turned to dust as a figure begins to approach them. A bright, bird-like figure...

"You will join them, heh."

Sandrock Zero strikes again.

-------------------------

_Sandrock__ has begun his attacks on both the Radham and the colonies. With his new power, it seems as if nothing can stop him. The Space Knights are unsure as to fight him, but Dead goes off on his own to challenge him. Meanwhile on the Lunar Base, the scientists have almost completed construction of two new prototype Sol-Tekkas, but secretly use their knowledge to perform other upgrades as well. But the new colonel, Tuberoff, has other plans for them. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Zero Force_


	29. Zero Force

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Chap. 29

_Space Knight HQ_

"It has been two weeks since Sandrock reappeared. Ever since then, he has been destroying both Radham and OZ alike. We don't know how he gotten so powerful, but he has to be stopped."

The group was assembled for a briefing with the Chief. Yumi was in among them, after recovering from her injuries a day before.

"I don't see why." David spat out, "So far, it seems he's doing us a favor."

The others, minus Dead and Aki, looked at him strangely. Aki decided to address the issue.

"You may want to rethink your words." She then indicated to the screen showing the Space Ring as well as the neighboring colonies. Two green spheres were also seen.

"He has also been attacking colonies." she said finally.

They were all now shocked by this, including Dead. "What?"

Aki continued again, "According to our latest intel, he had already destroyed two colonies. Casualties were minimal, but that won't hold up."

"Minimal?" Natasha asked surprisingly.

"Yes. Apparently, he's warning the colonies before attacking. According to the reports, he often makes his presence known an hour before he attack the colony directly. But he's been showing less restraint in his attacks and it will only be a matter of time before he simply attacks without warning."

"It doesn't make sense." Anita commented. "It's like he's crazy, but not totally."

"We should leave him alone."

They all turned to look at the speaker. "Dead?"

Eyes closed and arms folded, Dead responded, "If we confront him, he will attack us. And don't be sure he'll show any restraint."

Natasha glared at him, "What are you saying? That we should leave him and let him keep killing people?"

Dead didn't respond and kept silent. Seeing that nothing more was going to be said, Aki went on.

"In any case, he has to be stopped. And Dead is right. If it comes down to it, he must be stopped...by any means necessary."

Yumi looked worriedly, "But Chief..."

Aki cut her off. "That's the order."

The Knights saluted and left, all except Yumi.

"Chief. Can we talk?"

Aki stood and nodded to her, "Go on."

"I know I haven't been around for any of this, but isn't there any way to help him?"

Aki closed her eyes, "You're right. You haven't been around for any of this. So you haven't seen what he's capable of."

Yumi stared down, "But Quatre is such a gentle guy. Do you think that maybe...something's wrong with him?"

"I know there is. And we're going to do everything to get him back to normal. However, we also have to be ready to stop him no matter what." She gave Yumi a softened look. "I know you don't want to fight him or any of your friends if you can help it. But this is a different case. And you must be strong for whatever happens, okay?"

"Okay, Chief."

-----------------

_Lunar Base..._

"So these are them."

"Yes. These are the two prototypes. Mercurius and Vayaete."

Lady Une had gone to inspect the doctors' work in the construction chamber. Behind them stood two massive Sol-Tekkas, both almost the size of the Tallgeese.

Dr. J. began, "They each possess a far greater rate of power and speed than the Tauruses. We also equipped them with separate, but linkable weapon systems. They are to fight as a team in order to realize their full capacity."

Her eyes narrowed, "Explain."

Dr. S. indicated first to the red Sol-Tekka, "The Mercurius possesses a very highly advanced shield system, making it capable of withstanding even a Voltekka blast." Next, he pointed to the blue one, "The Vayaete possesses an advanced quantum energy cannon which can match a Voltekka power and use in consectively."

A slight feral grin came up Lady Une's face, "Impressive."

"However, for these systems to start functioning, we'll need to import them with the data systems of a tekkaman. We'll only need two of them in order to do so."

Her eyes narrowed again, but she agreed. "Very well. Proceed." Her tone turned dangerous. "I don't have to explain to you what will happen if you try anything foolish."

"Yes, of course." Dr. J. answered simply. With that, Lady Une left the scientists to their work. Dr. J, rejoined his compatriots. "

"Well?"

Prof. G. answered, "Everything is set."

"Have you considered the Zero?" Prof. H interjected.

Dr. J raised his claw, "One problem at a time. The Space Knights have dealt with the Zero before. We may have to leave it to them."

Master D nodded in agreement, "Right now, we have to please our 'masters'." His eye shifted briefly and the small camera that was on the ceiling that was supposed to be hidden to them.

_Command deck..._

"So they knew about it after all." Lady Une commented. She had been monitoring them since they arrived. So far, they have fulfilled their part of the bargain, but now she wondered if this Zero was part of whatever plan they may have had.

"Of course they did. Once those prototypes are completed, I want them..."

Lady Une suddenly stood in a strange shock. Her eyes widened and she staggered back. The officers saw this and began to rise to aid her.

"Lady Une?"

Lady Une regained her composure. "It's nothing. Select two candidates for the prototypes and have them brought to me."

With that order said, she walked off the deck and to her private quarters. She staggered a bit and sat down in her seat with a mirror before her. She held her head briefly and removed her glasses. She then looked in the mirror, but she wasn't sure of the person she saw in the mirror.

"What...is wrong with me?" she whispered to herself

-----------

_Docking port..._

A line of OZ soldiers were assembled just as a shuttle entered the bay. The hatch opened and out came a man, somewhat elderly, with grey hair and narrow eyes. He stopped to look around at the base before descending the stairs to the head soldier.

The soldier saluted, "Welcome to Lunar Base, Colonel Tuberoff."

Tuberoff didn't return the greeting, "I will be taking charge of the construction of the new Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls. How have they been progressing?"

Luckily, the soldier was able to answer, "Steadily, sir. We've managed to double the construction rate."

Hiseyes narrowed slightly, "Only doubled?"

"It takes time to incorporate the Radham systems with the machines sir." The soldier answered. "It's almost a miracle we have it at this rate."

Tuberoff seemed satisfied with the answer, "Very well. Where is Lady Une? She was supposed to meet with me."

"She's overseeing the construction of the new Sol-Tekkas."

"Dolls?"

"No sir. Prototypes built by the gundam engineers."

The colonel frowned as he thought, _'Hmph. A waste of time. Dolls are the only weapons that will be needed by Romefeller. I'll have to show her that.'_

------------

_Space Knight CC…_

David was on his way the Dead's quarters. He wasn't too sure how he felt about the whole thing with Quatre and the destruction he was causing. Normally, he would talk to Yumi for such things because she a still a child and gave the simplest answer to things sometimes. He didn't like relying on people for his own problems, but sometimes it was the only way. And Dead seem more adamant about leaving him alone, so he wanted to know why. He approached Dead's quarters and knocked. 

"Hey Dead. Dead?"

David opened the door, only to find the room empty and the window open. David half grinned and half frowned.

_'Should have seen this coming.'___

------------

_Space..._

A purple flare soared through out past the Space Ring and stopped in the middle of space. Materializing, Tekkaman Dead simply stood, lancer blade in hand as he waited. He didn't have to wait long. A massive blue flare appeared and streaked through space like a comet. Dead powered up his crystal hawk and soared right at him. The two forces collided as the two tekkaman held each other off and finally pushed each other away.

Sandrock's head crystal shimmered red, "Dead...End."

Dead's own eyes glowed as he held himself in battle position, "Well, let's get started."

________

_Dead End faces off against Sandrock Zero. But even Dead is no match for the powerful Zero and is nearly killed. Meanwhile at the Lunar Base, the final push in the doctors' plans begins while the choices for the pilots for the Sol-Tekkas continue. Trowa is chosen, but with no one else to match the skill, Lady Une uses a gundam. Tuberoff sees this and takes matters into his own hands. But unknown to all, another figure has infiltrated the Lunar Base and is gathering information on someone else. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Confrontations_


	30. Confrontations

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Chap. 30

**BAM!!!!!!!**

Dead smashed right into Sandrock Zero and knocked him out of flight. Surprised, Zero shot back to reorganize, only to have Dead coming at him with his lancer raised over his head, like a demon out of hell. Zero swiftly raised his own lancer to defend and the two clashed. Dead pushed back and came at him again, not giving him any opportunity to attack back. But Zero saw the attack coming and dodged off to the side. Dead whirled pass and Zero came at him this time. The resulting clash was powerful as well as vicious as Dead was shaken by the blow. Zero came again and again and Dead was quickly loosing ground.

_'How can he be so fast? It's like he knows what I'll do before...I do it.'_

Dead's thought was cut off swiftly as Zero attacked again, knocking him back a good distance. Dead activated his boosters to stop the momentum and looked up to see Zero in his crystal hawk form coming straight at him. Reacting, Dead went into his own and both powers charged headfirst at high speed.

**KABOOM!!!!!!**

The resulting light was blinding, but it was only temporary. When it cleared, Dead was tossed back further through space. Zero charged at him again, but Dead wasn't out of it yet. His lancer morphed and the dark energy crackled.

"VOLTEKKAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A black beam flared out and Zero was unable to avoid it as it exploded right in his face. Dead finally managed to stop himself from flying as he looked into the explosion. His energy was spent, but he managed to subdue him finally. But a suddenly glimmered alerted his attention and before he could even think, Zero swooped out of the explosion and at him.

"Wh......"

Zero smashed into him and stabbed his lancer deep within Dead's armored ribs.

"Guukkkkkk!!!"

Zero held the lancer tight as he held the impaled Dead. Zero's shielded eyes looked as he watched Dead struggling weakly against it.

"Dead End..."

Zero suddenly lowered his lancer and flung his wrist, causing Dead to slide off of it and float off into space. Globes of red floated out of his body into space. Zero simply stared briefly before summoning his crystal hawk form and shoot away.

********

_Lunar Base, Cell...._

The three gundams sat in the dark prison, awaiting their fate. Heero stood in the far wall by the door, Duo paced in front and Wufei stood at the other end.

Duo looked at the door and commented, "So, I wonder what going on out there."

Wufei's eyes were shut, but he responded, "Even in prison, you still talk far too much Maxwell."

Duo grinned, glad that he got a response out of one of his two silent compatriots, "I'm surprised I'm the only one. But considering you and Heero, I guess not."

Heero looked up at the door, "We have company."

Shadows moved outside the door and the iron door opened. A troop of guards filled up the door, armed. Duo stood up to them, unafraid.

"What do you want?"

One of the guards said nothing as he merely punched him in the gut. Duo gasped and slumped down to the ground.

"Take him and the other one." he pointed to Wufei. Wufei raised his hands and went along with them while the rest picked up Duo and walked out, leaving Heero alone in the cell.

*************

_Elsewhere..._

A shadowy figure entered through one of the incoming ships. Looking around, the figure saw an empty locker room and entered. Minutes later, she emerged in a standard OZ uniform.

_'A little tight, but it'll have to do. According to the data, the control terminal I need should be two levels up.'_ She looked around again and moved. _'I have to move fast. This won't last long.'_

With her goal in mind, Fera entered the elevator and went up.

***************

_Laboratory…_

"Ready to proceed"

The 5 scientists along with the guards were in a control booth, overlooking two cylinder pods. Inside, Duo and Wufei floated within the strange liquid with breathing apparatuses attached to faces. Lower down, cables were attached to the pods that were connected to a computer terminal and into the two Sol-Tekkas.

"Begin."

The five scientists went to work on the machines and monitoring devices as the pools containing the two tekkamen began to swirl and glow. The two boys began to squirm and struggle in the liquid as the wires beneath them began to come to life. Loads of data downloaded into the terminal and into the Sol-Tekkas. The tekkamen were beginning to thrash in the pods violently, as though they were in severe pain.

Doctor J called back, "Well?"

Professor G answered, "90%...95%...100% Transfer complete."

Dr. J nodded, "Shut it down.""

The fellow scientist obeyed and deactivated the tanks. The pods stopped glowing and the liquid inside grew still. But the boys within were immobile as well.

"Are they dead?"

Professor H checked their vital signs, "No, they're alive. But the strain on their bodies has caused them to pass out."

"And the Sol-Tekkas?" Master D inquired.

"All data and combat systems are up and running. They're completely operational"

*************

_Control terminal…_

In a darkened room, Fera was accessing one of the master terminals. Nearby, one of the guards lay unconscious. But she didn't have time to think about what she had done. Not when she had a mission to complete.

_'Hmmm.__ This has quite a wall system.'_ She clicked on the keyboard rapidly, moving as if it was second nature to her. _'It'll take more than that to stop me.'_ The screen suddenly flashed with information. _'Okay, I'm in. Let's see...Okay...The Space Ring? I don't believe it. This whole time, he's been right under our noses.'_ She clicked the computer off and went for the door, but the guard had awoken and clicked a gun on her. Fera raised her arms as the guard came up behind her.

"I should have moved faster."

The guard positioned the gun on her back, but as soon as he did, she whirled around, grabbed the gun and spun again, positioning herself and the gun on his back. Before he could react, she slapped the gun to the back of his head, knocking him out again,

"Sorry about that again. I guess we all make mistakes, huh."

**************

_Lady Une's office..._

"Well."

"We only have one candidate for the Sol-Tekka."

Lady Une narrowed her eyes at the soldier, "Where's the second?"

The soldier replied, albeit nervously. "According to the data of the machine, they require a certain level of control from the pilot. The problem is that there aren't too many around skilled enough to use these Sol-Tekkas."

Lady Une absorbed the information. It was true that these machines were advanced. So it would only be natural that the pilot would have to be skilled as well. "And your selection is?"

The soldier seemed slightly relived, "Cadet Trowa Barton. We've tested him out and he's really good. He far outranks the new recruits in terms of natural skill and may be best suitable for now."

_'Trowa Barton. That name...where?' _"Yes. He was the one who captured that tekkaman earlier. A fitting way to reward him. Bring him here at once."

"Yes ma'am."

**************

_Space Knight CC, medical ward._

"Uggghhh. Where...?"

"Welcome back."

"Huh?" Dead's emerald eyes gaze around and recognized that he was in the medical ward. Surprisingly enough, Yumi was standing beside his bed adjusting the nearby flowers.

"I guess I lost." he stated grimly. He knew that was an understatement. He was lucky to get away with his life.

"We found you in space after we got reports of high energy level in space." Yumi answered. "You were pretty messed up, but I knew you could pull through. You're a tough guy, like Blade."

"Hmph. What about Quatre?"

"He disappeared again." She looked out the window. "I hope he's okay."

"Okay?" Dead shook his head slightly and smiled darkly, "Heh. With an attitude like that, how did you ever become a Space Knight?

Yumi turned to him and pouted, "Hey, that's not fair. I'm just worried, that's all."

The smile didn't leave his face, "Sounds like you're in love with the guy."

Shock registered on her face, "No way! But he's one of my best friends. I don't have too many of those, aside from you guys."

Dead shrugged it off and was ready to dismiss her, but he then took into consideration her words.

"Does that mean you consider me a friend?"

Yumi scratched her head a bit and looked up thoughtfully, "Oh, well...ummm.....of course!"

He gave her a dark gaze, "Even after I tried to kill you along with the other Knights?"

She simply waved slightly, "Hey, that was a long time ago. You're different now."

_'So naive.__ But still...I've seen her strength. It's strange.'_

"David is right. You're a sweet kid."

Yumi smiled, "Thank you...hey!" She pouted again, "I'm not a kid!"

Dead's chuckle was his only reply

*************

_Lunar Base…_

"Cadet Barton. At ease."

Trowa dropped from his salute, but he remained motionless as Lady Une stood up before him.

"I'm sure you know why you're here, but I'm going to say it anyway. You have been chosen to pilot the new advanced Sol-Tekka, Vayete. We are still in the process of finding you a partner for the Mercurius, but effective immediately, you are the official pilot of the Sol-Tekka. Any questions?"

"Just a suggestion, ma'am." was the quiet response.

That surprised her a bit, "What is it?"

"Have one of the gundam tekkamen pilot the second machine. They would be easily suited to use the machine more than anyone and it would save time until you can find a suitable replacement for the Mercurius."

Lady Une narrowed her eyes. "That's quite a bold suggestion, cadet."

"The machine could be rigged to self-destruct on command should he try anything." he answered back, alleviating any fears she may have had.

"And why should he listen at all?"

"Because as a gundam, he wishes to protect the colonies. So he will. OZ is best using such techniques as this."

Lady Une smiled, "I'm impressed. It's quite underhand....ughhh." Lady Une staggered back slightly, but quickly regained her composure, "I'll take you suggestion into consideration. Dismissed."

Trowa gave a quick salute and left the room. As soon as he did, Lady Une sat back down and held her head in confusion.

_'Again.__ Why? Why does this...Mr. Trieze?'_

***********

_Cell…_

Meanwhile, Heero sat alone in the cell as the soldiers returned with the fallen bodies of Duo and Wufei. The soldier tossed them on the floor and then pointed the guns at Heero.

"You, come."

Heero silently complied.

*************

_Sol-Tekka bay room_

"I object to this, Colonel."

Lady Une had accepted Trowa's proposal and was set up the arrangements when Tuberoff barged in, angry. Lady Une simply replied coolly, "Whether you object or not is of no concern to me."

Tuberoff wasn't finished with her though. "Using a gundam to fly the machine is foolhardy and you know it."  He then pointed at the two Sol-Tekkas, "Why are you even wasting your time with those stupid machines anyway?"

Lady Une didn't flinch and responded coldly, "Remember, you're only here to make sure the mobile doll are ready. Other than that, I make the decisions here."

"When Romefeller hears about this..."

"I suggest you hold your tongue, Coneral." At this point, she was getting tired of this man's objections. "As I said earlier, I am in command here, so you better think twice before you question any of my decisions again."

With that said, Tuberoff had no choice but to leave Lady Une. As he did, he thought to himself, _'You are only in command because Trieze put you there. But his time in the sun is almost over, as soon will be yours, Lady.'_

*********

_Colony..._

A force of Taurus Sol-Tekkas was awaiting the arrival of Sandrock Zero. Based on his path of destruction, they figured that he would likely attack their next and thus prepared a full defense line should he arrive.

He did...

"There's the target! Fire!!!!"

The Sol-Tekkas unleashed a hail of energy beam at the tekkaman. But Zero wasn't affected in the least and it continued to come at them. Dispersing his crystal hawk form, Zero swooped in, lancer in hand and attacked. Nothing was spared his wrath as he swiftly ripped apart Sol-Tekka by Sol-Tekka. The remaining ones backed away toward to colony to get some space between him and them, but that proved to be a fatal mistake.

"You're afraid of dying, aren't you guys? In that case...you shouldn't be fighting at all!!!!'

Putting the lancer away, Zero's cells unlocked and opened wide. When they reach full power, Zero let loose a monolithic wave of energy. The energy incinerated the Sol-Tekka's and continued on its path to the colony. It smashed straight through and burst out on the other side. The colony erupted with bright light and suddenly exploded altogether. As the colony blew up, Zero simply watched the destruction. White sparkles floated in space before his eyes.

_'These sparkles...they're like tears. But yet...I don't feel one bit sad.'_

-------------

_With the new Sol-Tekkas set, their first mission is to stop the Sandrock Zero. But they may find it difficult to stop their former comrade with his awesome powers. Fera almost leaves the base, but is captured by OZ forces before she could make her escape. Trieze resigns as leader of OZ and this in turn, allows Tuberoff to take over. Worse yet, the new Sol-Tekka Dolls are almost complete. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Dark Horizons_


	31. Dark Horizons

Disclaimer: Same as always. If I owned any of these, I would be a very happy guy.

Chap. 31

_Space Fortress Barge_

"Commence test."

With that command, the two Sol-Tekkas were launched out into space. Despite their size, they move with more speed and grace than the Taurus, which they were up against now. The Tauruses were remodeled into Dolls in order to maximize the Mercurius's and Vayeate's fighting potential. The Tauruses attacked first, firing not only their usual beam rifles, but two of them were equipped the massive quantum cannons.

"Activating defender shield."

Mercurius opened a set of metal disks that launched out in front of it and the Vayeate. The disks then quickly illuminated and a massive energy shield formed. The beams that came at them stopped dead in their track and none of them could penetrate. Vayeate moved up front and raised a massive cannon.

"Firing quantum cannon."

A massive beam erupted out, similar to a Voltekka, and engulfed several of the Dolls, destroying them instantly. With only two left, Mecerius moved in and unlocked a massive shield saber. The Taurus Dolls continued to fight, but the Mercurius dodged all of their fire and slashed through them, finishing all opposition and ending the test.

"Excellent work, Cadet Barton. You have preformed well in the Vayeate. And your 'partner' did just as well in the Mercurius."

Trowa nodded inside the Sol-Tekka, "Thank you."

Heero on the other hand, didn't respond. But no one expected him to or cared for that matter. Within the Sol-Tekka, his particular cockpit was infused with shards of active disruptor crystals to prevent him from transforming. Should he try to disable them, the Mercurius would self-destruct. Not that that was a serious problem for Heero, but it wouldn't serve any benefit to kill himself now.

"Because of your performance, you will be shipped out immediately. You are to investigate the rouge tekkaman who has been destroying our forces and colonies. Once found, you are to either capture it or destroy it. Is that understood?"

The Vayeate saluted, "Yes, ma'am."

Unknown to Lady Une, Trowa had been communicating with Heero through their tekka-sets. He informed him of what the doctors had done to Duo and Wufei as well the fact that the Mercerius's self-destruct mechanism was disabled. However, the crystals were another story, so if Heero needed to transform, he'd have to abandon the Mercurius first.

_"No problem."___

_"Right now, we better carry out the mission and find this rouge tekkaman. I believe it may be Quatre."_

_"He's been destroying colonies as well."_

_"Yes.__ And we have to find out why. If he's as powerful as the reports say, we can come back in force again."_

_"We'll see."_

*************

_Lunar Base..._

Fera quietly entered the docking bay after finding the information she was looking for. She knew it would only be a matter of time before the soldiers found out what had happened and called alert, so she had to move fast. _'Too much depends on it.'_ she thought. Then by sheer luck, she caught a shuttle preparing to leave the base. _'This is just too good to be true.'_

Unfortunately, it was...

"Freeze!"

Fera looked to see the guard move in front of her, rifle leveled. As she backed away, a couple of more guards surrounded her from behind. Fera was shocked. _'But there was no alarm.'_

The guard grinned, as if knowing her thoughts. "No use in making loud noises. Especially when this is so much easier. Take her to Col. Tuberoff. He may have some words with her."

Fera raised her arms in surrender and was quietly escorted away.

***************

_Bar Tavern_

At a lone bar stool, David sat with a drink in front of him. However, he hadn't even tasted it yet and merely held it in his hand.

"Is this seat taken?"

David blinked and turned to the sound of the voice, "Dead? You're out early."

Dead simply shrugged and sat down next to him. "What can I say? I'm a fast healer."

David shrugged back and looked at his drink again. He attempted to drink it, but his hand never moved.

"There's that look again."

David blinked again, "What look?"

Dead answered, "The look that says you have something on your mind, but don't want to talk about it."

"Am I that obvious?"

"Only to every person here." Dead turned to grab his own drink, "So what is it?"

_'This feels like deja vu all over again.'_ David mused before responding out loud.

"I don't know. All this stuff about OZ and the gundam tekkamen. We're supposed to fight the Radham. But with OZ going around as well, it's hard to know for sure." He lifted the glass, "It just doesn't make sense."

"Not supposed to. Just have to live through it."

David looked at him with narrowed eyes, "Just like that?"

"Just like that." He took a sip of his drink, "I bet those gundams are asking the same questions themselves. They'll figure it out eventually."

"You really think so?"

"Of course."

David finally managed to get the glass to reach his lips and took a gulp of his drink, "Are you always going to be a smart@$$?"

Dead smiled, "Of course. Comes with the job."

***********

_Colony..._

BAM!!!!!!

The lone tekkaman was strolling down the streets of the now abandoned colony. With his lancer in hand, he cut down and slashed whatever he came in contact with without a thought as to why. As he continued, he came across a amusement park. The Ferris wheel was still moving slightly. The tekkaman's head crystal flashed.

"Such things don't belong here."

With that, he hurled the lancer at the wheel, cutting through it. Zero then latched it with his cable and caused it to slash across, ripping it in half. The structure toppled over and collapsed heavily as Zero retrieved his lancer. Suddenly, his head snapped upward.

"Someone's...coming."

With that, he shot off through the air to meet his opposition...or his next victim.

_Outside...___

The colony where the tekkaman was reported to be at was deserted totally. But there was no sign of the tekkaman anywhere. And since the colony was still in tact, that means that either he didn't arrive yet, or was already there waiting. The other Sol-Tekkas flew off ahead to the entrance of the colony to investigate when...

**BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!**

"What the...it's him!"

Zero had exploded out of the side of the colony and his head turned to the three Tauruses. The crystal gleamed evilly as the Sol-Tekkas opened fire on him.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

Neither the round of fire, nor the glowing disruptor crystals stopped the destructive teekaman from charging at them. He slashed upward, destroying the first and then tossed his lancer, hitting the second straight through. Then, he latched it with his cable, ripping it in half and damaging the third one at the same time. While the remaining Sol-Tekka hovered back, it was suddenly met with the frightening visage of Zero before him.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The last Sol-Tekka finished, Zero stayed where he was as the Vayete slowly approached him. He already knew who the pilot was, but didn't respond.

"Quatre? Is that you?"

No response.

"Quatre."

"I can hear you, Trowa." he replied, although he kept his back to him. Vayete approached closer when Zero suddenly screamed and turned around, Voltekkas full charged.

"Stay away from me!"

The beams fired and Trowa was unable to avoid it as the blast ripped the blue Sol-Tekka apart. But somehow, Trowa was still able to boost it out and was now left with a badly damaged machine. Trowa was singed from the blast, but his space suit held. _'Guess the armor was just strong enough.'_ He then looked at Zero, who was now holding his lancer tightly.

"Stay away. Tell the others to stay away from me."

"Quatre. What's wrong?"

"Stay away from me or I will destroy you all." He pointed with the lancer, "This whole universe has gone insane. That's why I'm going to destroy it all."

While he spoke, the Mercurius was making its way behind him. But Zero sensed him approach and instantly fired his wrist Voltekka cells. But Heero managed to maneuver his Sol-Tekka out of the line of fire and avioded it totally. Zero lowered his arm and raised his lancer again.

"I told you to stay away, Heero."

Mercurius set its lancer blade up and spread it shield disks.

"I'm going to kill you, Quatre."

With that, Heero attacked...

************

_Romefeller__ Foundation..._

The large audience of the Foundation was gathered in the meeting hall. In the forefront of this meeting was the Foundation's leader, Duke Dermail. Trieze was also seated within the crowds, although his demeanor was a bit grim.

"Now that the mobile dolls are completed, we can now begin a new era for the Earth through our traditions." Dermail announced. "Plans are already underway to launch a strike against the remaining countries of the world that present a threat. Once they are taken care of, we at the Romefeller Foundation will rule the Earth uncontested. Let this be the dawning of a new era for Romefeller!"

A ring of clapping was heard throughout the crowds, but Trieze sat silently observing the scene. Dermail then lifted his hand to him and Trieze came toward him.

"Trieze Khusrenada, you've done an excellent job with OZ as well as the soldiers. I'd like you to continue to lead on to the golden age of OZ."

Another round of clapping came up, but Trieze wasn't pleased with the applause and waited for it to die down.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible."

Dermail blinked, "What?"

"I don't believe in the way the Foundation is fighting. Traditions are nothing but fake dreams where true beauty comes in. The beauty of fighting with others."

"What do you mean, 'true beauty'?" Dermail questioned.

Trieze answered, making sure his voice was loud enough for the entire audience to hear. "During a battle, a soldier gains a respect for the life of himself and others, even his opponents. As such, I have the utmost respect for all life. But the mobile dolls clearly defy that and make it meaningless. It is wrong to put the fate of humanity on lifeless machines and as such, I can not accept this total ignorance of mankind."

He then indicated to the screens, showing the images of the gundam tekkamen.

"The gundams...they fight even though they've been defeated and betrayed. They forge ahead with this new respect and as such, they are the true warriors of this era." The screen switched to the Space Knights, "Even the Space Knights, who fight for no recognition and are hurt just as badly, continue to struggle and fight for the safety of the Earth. I wish to be one of the ones that are defeated."

The crowd fell silent at his words, but Dermail wasn't too disturbed by them. "If that is how you feel, then you are hereby removed from your duties as commander of OZ. But you are aware of our policy."

Dermail moved closer to him and silently hand him a pistol. Trieze looked at it briefly before looking back up.

"It is not time for that yet."

Dermail lowers the gun and puts it away, "Very well then. I'll have to then place you under arrest."

Dermail motions for a group of soldiers and then come and surround Trieze, "You'll be confined here."

Trieze looks at the guards briefly before striding out of the hall and toward his quarters. But before they reach the doors, another group of soldiers surround the first, armed with rifles.

"Take them somewhere quiet." the lead soldier commands and a group of them motion the guards to move. The remaining soldiers remained with Trieze and the leader spoke to him.

"Your Excellency. We can not let this end just yet."

Trieze blinked and then nodded, "Yes. The time has come for me to leave the stage and let the act continue."

With that, Trieze followed them out of the building and off the stage.

************

_Lunar Base..._

"Colonel Tuberoff."

Tuberoff turned from his screen showing the Sol-Tekka Dolls. The guards were waiting behind him, with Fera in their custody.

"So this is the one." Tuberoff examined. "Hmm. I must say, I'm impressed that you made it this far. Now, who are you and what have you done?"

Fera made no reply, but Tuberoff didn't really expect one anyone.

You rebel spies are all alike." He narrowed his eyes, "Although..."  

A soldier suddenly called from one of the computer terminals, "Sir, a call has come in from Romefeller." Tuberoff turned as the soldier read the message. "Trieze Khusrenda has been removed as leader. Therefore, effective immediately, you are in command of the Lunar Base."

Tuberoff smiled, "Well, that is news." _'Now that that's taken care of, she is no longer even a thought.'_ He returned his attention to the silent prisoner. _'I've seen her somewhere before. But I don't remember...that not important now. There are more immediate concerns.'_

"Have her put away in another cell." He ordered. "I'll deal with her later."

The guard saluted and escorted Fera to her cell. Tuberoff then went to the soldier at the terminal and had him bring up the system screen.

"Cut off life support to these cells." He indicated to the cells with the scientists, Duo and Wufei.

"Sir?"

Tuberoff looked back at the Dolls, now complete and ready to battle. "They've exceeded their use."

The soldier did as ordered, but after he did...

"Sir, we're receiving another transmission from Fortress Barge. It's Lady Une."

Tuberoff nodded, "Ah, she's probably still lost on what's transpired. Better let her know personally."

Tuberoff went before the monitor just as Lady Une image came into focus.

"Tuberoff. Why have communications been disconnected?"

"An important transmission from the Foundation. I've been asked to take over in light of recent events." he answered smugly.

"What do you mean?" she questioned back.

_'And now for the kill...'_ "Trieze Khusrenda has been dethroned from his position as commander. And I've been ordered to mobilize the Sol-Tekka Dolls immediately for Earth."

Lady Und blinked. _'Mr. Trieze...'_ She then responded back, "Stop what you're doing. The Dolls are not the way to fight."

It wasn't the response he was expecting, but he didn't care. "On the contrary, they are the only way to fight. A war with expendable soldiers is what is needed. Humans can not be trusted to fight. Therefore, the dolls will replace them as soldiers in this war."

"Without human soldiers, then the wars become meaningless." Lady Une countered. "Without them, there will be nothing to drive the human race. The reality of war can't be grasped with soulless dolls. In that way, death is necessary for soldiers."

Tuberoff scoffed, "A soldier can't fight knowing that they are going to die."

"No. That is the only time anyone can fight."

"If that's how you feel, the let see how well you deal with death, Lady."

He moved over to the Doll control pad and pressed a sequence of buttons. In the holding chambers, the lifeless Sol-Tekkas lit up and became active. The bay doors opened and lifted the new Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls to the surface. Lady Une watched in shock that the Dolls were completed so quickly and so many. _'I underestimated Tuberoff's impatience.'_

She then turned and then ordered her subordinates. "Have all available units accompany me to the Lunar surface." But even as she said that, she knew it would be a downhill battle. Especially considering the program was based off of Radham nerve systems, making them incredibly lethal. _'At the very least, I can free the gundam tekkamen captured below. It's what Trieze would have wanted.'_

**************

_Colony..._

A heated battle took place as Heero, in the Mercurius, battled Sandrock Zero. The Sol-Tekka was impressive and Heero piloted it accordingly, but the sheer power and speed of Zero was more than overwhelming. But Heero refused to quit and stabbed upward at Zero, who blocked the blow.

"Why are we fighting each other?"

Mercurius tried to press the blow, but Zero didn't budge and knocked him a good distance back. Zero charged the Voltekka on his left arm and fired at Mercurius. But Mercurius still had one more trick left and activated its energy shield. The Voltekka hit, but the shield held up against it.

"The colonies are the enemy now. Both yours and mine. Crazy. Outer space has gone crazy. That's why I must destroy it all. That's only natural, right?"

Mercurius charged again and Zero raised both his arms to fire. Heero was surprised by this and activated his shield. But this blast was far stronger and the shield weakened under the force. Heero checked the stats quickly. _'It won't hold for much longer.'_ he thought grimly.

"Please leave. I don't want to kill anyone that is my ally. Please Heero. Hey, are you listening to me!"

"I'm not leaving. There's a colony that needs to be defended."

At his reply, Zero went into crystal hawk mode. The bright bird-like energy smashed into Mercurius and sent it plummeting in the colony. Mercurius was now badly damaged, but Heero came out nevertheless.

"I'd ask you to stop fighting, but you won't, will you? I have no choice but to eliminate you."

"Then get it over with."

"That's it then. Goodbye Heero."

The energy of the Voltekka cells on his arms began to charge once again and Quartre fired at the colony and Heero. Heero faced death with no fear as the energy came. But death would have to wait, for another beam of energy collided with Zero's and exploded before it could hit the colony. Zero's medallion flashed and he looked up to see where the beam came from. High above him was a tekkaman. White armored and holding a double-sided lancer, it looked just a white knight out of old.

_Tekkaman__ Blade..._

---------------------------------------

_The White Tekkaman Blade has appeared once more, this time to confront Zero. They battle and Quatre learns an important lesson about war and hearts. Tuberoff launches his deadly Sol-Tekka Dolls, but both Fera and Lady Une aid the two tekkamen in their escape, allowing them to reveal their new powers. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Hearts of Fire._


	32. Hearts of Fire

Disclaimer: Same as before. You know the drill.

Chap. 32

AN: Added Sandrock Zero image to my website

_Colony..._

Zero continued to stare at the newly-arrived Tekkaman Blade. His grip tightened on his lancer and he suddenly charged at blinding speed. But Blade was ready for him and lashed out with his lancer, causing the weapons to clash heavily. Zero then struck out with a fist, but Blade ducked his head off to the side and kicked away. Zero backed off a bit and attacked again. Again, the two clashed and struggled to overwhelm one another.

"I don't want to destroy you, Blade." Zero muttered. "So stay away from me."

Blade responded, "I will not let you suffer from your own heart, Quatre."

"What?"

Blade continued, seeing that he had gotten his attention, "I know what happened to your father. And as a result, you lost your way. A result of your kind heart."

Zero pushed away and shook visibly in rage. "What do you know?! You don't even know me!" He raised the lancer and screamed.

**"RAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"******

Zero rushed at Blade again and the battle continued.

*************

_Lunar Base_

The battle commenced as the Taurus Sol-Tekkas battled the new Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls. The Dolls were bigger than the standard Sol-Tekka and armed with quantum pulse cannons. Their shoulders were equipped with disruptor crystals, but they were deactivated since they weren't fighting tekkamen. They were also covered with strange vein-like wires that glowed darkly. Despite their bulk and size, the Dolls performed extremely well as they began to quickly overpower the Tauruses. Lady Une, leading the attack, found that she was up again more than she could handle. But she knew she had to get into the base and reach the gundams. She managed to make it to the surface of the moon and headed for the docking bay, but a Virgo caught sight of her and locked on.

"Raaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!"

Lady Une turned to see on of the Tauruses charge into the Virgo and crash, destroying both of them. Lady Une silently thanked the fallen soldier and headed inside.

************

Inside, the guards were taking Fera to her prison cell when one of the explosions from the battle above rocked the corridor. The guard turned briefly and Fera saw her chance to escape. She quickly elbowed the guard closest, causing him to stumble back into on of his compatriots. Without a second thought, Fera dashed down the corridor and turned around the corner. She closed the door behind her and sealed it off. She could hear banging from the other side and knew it would be a matter of time before they forced their way in. Fera looked around for an escape and was surprised by where she was. _'Prison block 719.'_ She continued to look around and she looked in one of the cells. She found both Duo and Wufei, both unconscious and on the floor. She looked to the side and saw that the oxygen had been shut off. Meaning that they were suffocating.

_'Oh, no.__ I have to get them out.'_

There was no handle to open the doors with and the locks were sealed tight on them. She looked around for something to force it open, but there was nothing. And to top it off, the soldier were beginning to force through.

_'I'm in trouble.'_

*********

A fierce firefight took place as Lady Une and a few loyal soldiers fought their way to one of the control rooms. As the soldiers gave her cover, Lady Une made her way into the room and accessed the prison locks. But as she continued to work...

"I knew you would try something like this." Turning around, she saw Tuberoff standing with a gun trained right on her.

"Freeing the gundam tekkamen sounds just like the foolish move Trieze would make."

Lady Une faced him without a hint of fear, "If you understood anything at all, then you'd realize that what you're doing goes against everything in the human spirit."

"Human spirit, bah." Tuberoff scoffed. "The Dolls are humanities new form of warfare. The ultimate expendable soldiers, capable of exceeding everything a human can do in battle without the risk of mortality."

"And what of the ones who fought and died?" Lady Une countered. "The Dolls will dishonor those who fought in the past, who gave up their lives for what they believed. A Doll can not do that. And it is that quality that makes the human race strong."

Tuberoff didn't respond to her words and merely raised the gun slightly.

"You fear death, Tuberoff. That's why you rely on soulless dolls. And that's why you won't shoot." Then she swiftly pressed a button on the console, unlocking the prison cells that held both the gundams and the scientists. But...

**Bang!**

Tuberoff had shot her and Lady Une slumped to the ground. Tuberoff put away the pistol. "I said you would deal with death. Goodbye, Lady."

Then he turned and walked out, leaving the dying Lady Une on the ground. She managed to glimpse at the monitor to see that the gundams were now beginning to make their escape. She gave a brief smile.

"They...live...My...gift...to you..." she whispered before falling unconscious.

***********

Fera was awakening the gundams. After she tried to help them out, the door mysteriously unlocked before her. She opened the door and moved in as Duo and Wufei, now sensing the air, were coming to. Wufei was the first to awaken.

"You."

Fera nodded to him, "We meet again."

At this point, Duo had awoken and looked over to Wufei and their apparent savior.

"Whoa, you're a cute one."

Fera gave a quick smile before answering, "I'm afraid you'll have to save the pleasantries for later. Right now, we have to escape."

"I'm with you on that. Coming Wufei? Huh?"

Wufei had disappeared into the hallway. The two of them looked out of the prison to see the guards on the ground, unconscious. They looked at Wufei in disbelief, but he didn't seem to be paying them any attention. He continued to move down the hall until he came to another room. Opening the door, he reached in for something and pulled back out. It was his sword. Wufei then turned to the others.

"Yeah, now I'm ready."

******************

The battle raged on as the Dolls were now slaughtering the Tauruses. The soulless machines moved swiftly like the Radham and blasted their human opponents one by one. As they did, inside, Fera and the two gundam had made their way into one of the shuttle bays.

"It's going to be rough, but we have to try."  She indicated to the boys. "Come on, let's go."

However, Duo and Wufei didn't board the ship.

"Sorry lady, but I'm afraid this is where we go our separate ways." Duo said shortly.

Fera looked at them with worry, "But I thought the disruptors..."

"Don't worry." Duo waved off. "We have a little surprise for them. Besides, you'll need cover to get out of here."

Fera continued to stare and she glanced over at Wufei, who simply stared back. She then nodded, "Okay. Perhaps we'll meet again."

Fera boarded the shuttle and the hanger doors slowly began to open.

"It's going to be one heck of a fight. We can't fight them for long."

Wufei merely shrugged, "It's enough that we're even alive. We can't be choosy."

Duo gave his signature grin, "Well, shall we?"

Wufei grinned back, "Sure. Why not?"

"Tek-Setta!!!!!!"

Twin bursts of light exploded behind the shuttle as it left the docking area and soared outside. As it flew out of lunar orbit, two Virgos caught sight of it and aimed to fire. But two flashes of light soared right at them and they exploded in a blaze of fire. The surrounding Virgos looked as two figures emerged from the flames.

"Tekkaman Hellscythe!"

"Tekkaman Altron!"

The two new tekkamen charged to attack. Tekkaman Hellscythe looked somewhat the same, except for a few changes in the armor, which had become almost all black, giving it a sleeker look. It also had two long wing-protrusions coming out of its back, almost like a bat.  His lancer had changed and was now a double-scythe lancer. Altron was also similar to its previous form except that it was now green in color. Two dragon gauntlets were on his arms and he now had a trident lancer that was bladed on both ends. The two tekkamen threw themselves into the battle and took dominance over the Dolls. A few of the Dolls activated their disruptors, but the gundams were completely unaffected by them. It wasn't long before both of them made their escape, but they demolished a good number of Dolls before leaving without any injury to themselves.

******************

_Colony_

_Srriiinnnnnggggg__!!!!! Shrraaaannnnnnggggggggg!!!!!!!_

The area over the colony glistened with the streaks of light as the two tekkamen battle each other. Despite Zero's immense power, Blade was able to hold his own against him. Blade flew back and charged in toward Zero, lancer in stabbing position. Zero saw the attack and parried it aside. He then lashed upward with a slice of his own, but Blade moved off to the side and the lancer missed him totally. On impulse, he kicked his leg out, hitting Zero in the face and causing him to hovered back. The gem on Zero's forehead glistened angrily and Zero charged at him, boosters open. Blade was caught in a tackle, but held on to Zero while activating his own boosters, causing them to spin around. Both tekkamen headed straight for the colony and Blade decided to let go and he separated from his grasp. The two tekkamen landed on the colony surface and Zero rushed to attack again. The loud clash of their lancers echoed into space as they tried to push each other away. Blade struggled for a bit and then loosened his hold and let Zero fly right by him. But Zero wasn't completely off guard by this and happened to twirl around and block Blade's incoming attack. Again, they held each other in position and they flew off of the colony. Zero gave a loud cry at Blade's resilience and pushed his lancer aside in order to punch him in the face. Blade's head lurched back and he flew back down to the colony with a crash. However, Blade was far from done and simply sat up.

"What I know is that you are one of the kindest people I've seen, Quatre. But because of that, you will be hurt the worse. I can't understand that, but I know how it is." Blade stood up. "My friends are like that and because of that, they get hurt many times over. I fight to prevent that pain. You can do the same."

Zero shook his head violently, "No! NO!!!!!!"

Dropping his lancer, Zero suddenly pointed both his arms at Blade, empowering the Voltekka cells once again. Blade looked in surprise as Zero unleashed the Voltekka. But before anything else could happened, a blue object suddenly swooped in from of the beam and took it head on.

It was the Vayaete...

**Krreeeeaahhhhhhh****!!!!!!!!!!**

The beam nearly demolished the blue Sol-Tekka suit, but again the armor managed to kep in partially in tact. But it began to spark as the damage was far too extensive.

"Quatre! Please stop. This battle isn't necessary."

Trowa's voice finally broke through to Quatre, "Trowa?"

Trowa began to use the last of the booster power to move away from the colony as he continued to speak to Quatre.

"Please listen. Blade is right. You are a kind person. And in wars, it is they who are hurt the most. We just have to accept that and move on, for such kindness is also needed. And we must battle with ourselves to come to the right conclusions." He then pleaded, "Please Quatre, don't let this be you. Return to the kind person that you once were. Please..."

**KABOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!**

At the sight of the Vayaete exploded, Zero gripped his head and screamed...

"TROWA!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

As he let out his wail of agony, the remaining cells on his body began to open up and gather energy. Blade saw this and was now horrified. 'He's lost it totally. He's going for full power!'

As Blade saw this, another object flew up to Zero in attack. It was Heero in the Mercerius. He charged at Zero in order to knock him out of his unknown rage, but the massive energy of the Voltekka charging was disrupting the Sol-Tekka's controls. And if that wasn't bad enough, the energy also repelled him back, hurling him against to colony. The Voltekka was now fully charged and at Quatre's cries, it opened fire on the colony. But Blade had one more ace up his sleeve.

"Reflectors!"

Blade's shoulder Voltekka cells opened, but they didn't fire. Rather, Blade stood waiting for the colossal energy that was coming at him. Then the cells shimmered to life and began absorbing the beam. Blade struggled with the energy for a bit before it reversed direction, heading straight at its owner and hitting him full force.

**"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"******

The beam swarmed past him and through space, leaving behind the unmoving, charred body of Sandrock Zero. Blade moved in close and detected that Quatre was still alive.

"Uggghhhhh….Tro…wa…"

Blade looked up in the direction Trowa had flown the damaged Vayaete. There was no sign of his body and all that was left was the debris from the destroyed Sol-Tekka. Looking over to the colony, he saw Mercerius, also unmoving. But he can tell the Heero was alive as well, although unconscious. 

Turning back, Blade examined Zero further. He detected a strange energy in him that was fading away. _'Just as I thought.__ It's the same as Dead End.'_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

_With the Dolls mobilized, Romefeller launches Operation Nova and moves with its plans to crush the remaining rebel forces against them. But they meet a slight roadblock when Trieze's followers, calling themselves the Trieze Faction, fight against them. Meanwhile, Blade recovers Heero and Quatre, but is unsure what to do with them. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: The Eternal Flame of Shooting Stars._


	33. The Eternal Flame of Shooting Stars

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Chap. 33

_Earth orbit_

Multiple carriers are descending upon the Earth in various parts of the world. They are Sol-Tekka carriers containing Romefeller's new Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls. The carriers eventually reach the inner atmosphere and the Dolls are released. Their target: all countries in opposition against Romefeller. The machines hit the ground and head toward one of these areas, their only intent on demolishing the place, no matter where or who. But before they could attack, a blast came out of nowhere and destroys one of the Virgos.

"We're under attack." The soldier in one of the carriers announced. "Heavy resistance. Those are Sol-Tekkas!"

Indeed, troops of Leo Sol-Tekkas were viciously attacking the Virgos. However, their advantage is short lived as the Virgos quickly begin to forge through them, wiping out Leos one by one. Nevertheless, the Leos continued to battle, showing an unrelenting resistance.

Their actions were far from being unwatched...

****************

_Space Knight CC_

Aki was watching the monitor in D-Boy's private chamber. On it was the current battles with Romefeller and their onslaught as they conquered and crushed the first of the rebel groups. She also took note of the battle between the Dolls and the new forces that were fighting back fiercely.

_'Those are also OZ Sol-Tekkas. Another faction perhaps?'_

She continued to watch and see that the faction was being crushed as well. _'They are destroying their own now. How long will it be before they come after us?'_

***************

_Unknown…_

"You're finally awake. I was beginning to worry."

Heero's eyes opened sharply to find Quatre looking down on him. Quatre had a faint smile, but Heero could see a great distress within his eyes.

"Trowa?"

Quatre shut his eyes, "He's....gone."

Heero sat up from the cot he was lying on. They were in a small shack in the middle of a beach. Heero could make out the waves crashing softly just outside.

"Where are we?"

"Somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Blade brought us here."

Quatre indicated to the outside where the emerald visage of D-Boy stood alone on the beach. His back was turned toward them, facing out to the sea.

Quatre continued, "The Romefeller Foundation is taking over Earth. They've just started sending in the Virgo Dolls to attack the remaining countries still separate from them."

"They're trying to subjugate Earth." Heero muttered.

Quatre turned his head to the side, "I...I'm not sure we should fight. I mean, even OZ is fighting against OZ now. And the colonies no longer want or need us around. What reason is there to fight anymore?"

"I fight because that's what I must do."

Quatre regarded his words and thought about them briefly. Finally after a moment of silence, "Perhaps we should talk to our host now."

Heero made his way to his feet and the two of them moved over to the lone figure on the beach. D-Boy didn't move, but was quite aware of their presence.

"You boys have caused quite a change in events these days. I suppose it was unavoidable." He turned to them, his shades obscuring his eyes, "What will you do now?"

"I will fight." Heero replied.

"For what reason? I understood when you fought against OZ before, but why now?"

**************

_Romefeller__ Foundation_

Duke Dermail sat in his office, reading the report one of his aids had brought in.

"Are you sure that's who they are?"

The aid nodded, "Yes sir. They are followers of Trieze. They're calling themselves the Trieze faction and are fighting the Dolls as we speak."

Dermail rubbed his beard lightly, _'Hmph. It figures. Trieze is a stubborn one. But they are nothing more than a nuisance now.'_

He looked up from the notes. "Continue as planned, but add the 'Trieze' faction to the list." he added with a grin.

***********

The battle with the Trieze faction and the Virgos ended with the defeat of the Trieze faction. Despite their best efforts, they were out matched by the sheer might of the Sol-Tekka Dolls. Few of the Leos escaped the battlefield, but the defeat was just the same.

************

_Space Ring_

The people moved through, going about in their normal everyday activities. Some to work, while others to their home within the Ring. Others are also traveling either to Earth or to one of the colonies. In the midst of the crowds, one woman moved about, heading toward a sealed-off section of the place. She moved to one of the doors and began type in on a keypad. The buttons beeped and the door opened. The woman quickly entered and closed the door behind her. Once shut, she pulled out a small pistol from out of a hidden holster and moved in.

_'I probably should have asked for Aki or Sally's help. No, they are always able to manage things on their own. I must do the same. I have to now.'_

Fera continued down the dark corridor toward her destination...

*************

_Beach…_

"I fight because I am a soldier."

D-boy's eyes narrowed beneath the shades, "Is that reason enough?"

"It's the only reason."

D-Boy closed his eyes briefly before addressing Quatre, "And what about you, Quatre?"

Quatre lowered his head uncertainly, "I'm really not too sure. But to survive, I believe I have no choice but to fight."

"Well..."  Blade suddenly stopped talking as his tekka-set flashed. Heero and Quatre began to wonder why he stopped when their own tekka-sets flashed as well.

"Radham."

D-Boy turned to the youths, "Are you sure this is the path you two want?"

Quatre nodded, but Heero didn't give any response at all. D-Boy merely accepted it. He knew how Heero was and that his answer was final. But...

"Heero. Your crystal is damaged. That mean you have 30 minutes in your tekka-form. Any longer and you become Radham. If that happens, I will stop you by any means."

Heero turned his head, "Mission accepted."

Heero raised his hand and the crystal materialized. Quatre did the same and the two boys shouted.

"Tek-Setta!!!!!!"

***********

_Unknown..._

It is a place void of all light, save for a few luminaries that shimmered from the strange surroundings. In the center of this alien place were four pods. The one in the center was the largest of them all. A deep red glow emanated from within and a low voice echoed out.

_'Soon I will be complete. Soon, this pitiful planet will be under my command. And I have not forgotten about you, Blade. Soon, I will make sure that you pay this time. Hehehe.'_

-------------------------------------------

_As Operation Nova goes into effect, those who are caught up in these events give their prospective on the changes yet to come. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: The Locus of Victory and Defeat._


	34. The Locus of Victory and Defeat

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Chap. 34

The countryside shone beautifully as the sun settled upon it. Within it, traveling down a fine-laid road, Treize Khusrenada relaxes with a horse-driven coach. His eyes swept the countryside, taking in the marvelous scenery. No one would have ever guessed that he was a renegade soldier fighting a loosing battle. His soldiers were fighting desperately around the world and faring badly. However, Trieze is more focused on the things to come. He has yet to learn the fate of his beloved Lady Une out in space.

_Beloved... _That was the appropriate term for her. He had come to care about her more than even he realized. He also noticed the changes within her, but he knew that was merely the real 'Lady Une' coming to light. He had seen that in her for a long time and what he saw was someone that would understand his intentions. _Much like that dragon tekkaman, Wufei._ He sensed that the boy would come to understand his intent as well. He realized this during their duel.

*****

"My name is Wufei."

"Trieze Khuzrenada."

"Finish it."

"It was a good fight."

"If you don't, I come back to get you."

"I hope so. I'll look forward to dueling with you again."

*****

The coach stopped in front of Trieze's estate. Soldiers saluted as he exited and strode toward his abode. Entering inside, he heads to his private chambers to check on the world events. As he watches, he catches note of a recent Radham attack that was thwarted by 'unknown forces', presumably the gundams. Trieze folded his hands together. Despite what had happened to them, they still continue to fight. At times, Trieze wished that he was a tekkaman himself. But he was one of the ones not captured by the Radham and transformed into one of them. His aristocratic life had kept him away from it until the Alliance began to become more heavy-handed. When several colonists planned a rebellion, Trieze saw the opportunity to change mankind's own tragic history. Thus he formed OZ, a complete unit of soldiers who would help him to carry out his objective. But now as things stand, that mission may deter. Worse yet, his enemy are no longer present in his mind. But if the gundams continue to fight, that means that they still have an enemy. _They have a clarity that I lack now. Perhaps they may help me yet again._

As he thought these things, he shifted himself over to another monitor. On the screen were data on the tekkamen, both gundam, Space Knight and Radham. He also managed to find a secret document from the first use of the Earth created tekkaman used by the Space Knights. It spoke of several possible upgrading systems. But one in particular was deleted from the files. Fortunately when the scientists were captured, Lady Une managed to find this information and send it to Trieze immediately. Now Trieze could find a way to use it. Seeing that things would only get worse, he would have to rely on the gundam tekkaman once again. These were his thoughts as he gazed at the information reading...

_Zero __Crystal__..._

*********************

Aki sat in her office, working on her private terminal. As she typed, her thoughts tried to backtrack to where this all began. _When the five boys arrived?_ No, this had been brewing for a much longer time. Far before the appearance of Dead, before the deadly battles with the Radham when they razed across the Earth. _Oh yeah, ever since the moment I met him._

*****

_Someone's down there._

_Or something._

_He's human alright._

_Yeah. Question is who is he?_

*****

_D-Boy._ The young man that fell from the sky. More like crashed and burned. The man who would take up the fight against the Radham and the tekkaman warlord, Omega. The man who fought and killed his own flesh and blood in order to protect and save the Earth. _The man...that she loved._ She had long thought of marriage with him, but they both knew that would take time to happen due to the constantly changing situations. Aki shook her head slightly. She had to focus on the present now. It was important that she complete her work before things move too rapidly. Honda had told her several times to take a break, but she couldn't afford to yet. Not when Romefeller's forces were sweeping all over the world. They will try to conquer everything. Earth, outer space, even them. 

She shivered inwardly at the thought of such an occurrence, more because that seemed possible now. That particular fear didn't seem likely before. In the earlier days, the military resented and even threatened the Space Knights on several occasions, but never outright attacked them. Then after the final battle against Tekkaman Omega and in the days of the Alliance, the military had kept their distance from the Space Knights and the Knights had done the same. They didn't work together much, but they had the same goal to defeat the Radham. Now she feared that Romefeller may now take a more aggressive role against them. Romefeller will most likely see them as a threat and try to attack.

Aki brushed the thoughts aside and continued working. D hadn't returned yet, but she still needed to finish this as soon as possible. Afterwards, Honda could start his own work. Aki sighed. She wished that Rebin was still around. She was far better with the computer work than she was, even now. But she'd moved on as everyone else had, taking up a job somewhere in the European area. Millia worked at a research facility until her disappearance. Sadly, Commander Freemen died in a Radham attack some time after his retirement. Noal had disappeared as well. The only ones left where her, Honda, and D-Boy. Nevertheless, the Space Knights remained, although completely different from before thanks to D-Boy's leadership. At its core were the very warriors they were trying to stop. Tekkaman. And they will be more needed than ever now. But not if they were destroyed first. With this mindset, Aki diligently continued her work on several new programs.

_Upgrade systems..._

*************************

In a country area slowly being rebuilt, a large palace stands in the midst of the town. Standing in front of the window from inside, a young girl watches the activities outside as the kingdom slowly becomes whole. The kingdom that she now reigns over. Under her true name, Relena Peacecraft prepares her own task in promoting total pacifism. But that is far easier said than done. She is aware of the battles taking place in the outside world and promoting pacifism in such an environment is far easier said than done. But still, this was the battle she took up. She just hoped she was strong enough.

"Heero..."

The unconscious whisper echoed through her mind as she thought of the first time she met the mysterious tekkaman.

*****

_"Damn, I've been seen."_

_"You should remain still. You may have internal injuries."_

_"Emergency crews 5 and 6 go that way. The rest will check inside."_

_"Don't worry. Help is..."_

_"Hi. My name is Relena Dorlian. What's yours?"_

*****

Relena sighed. Heero had his own battles to fight. But she knew his strength. Sometimes, she felt it as her own and others it felt like a support for her. He would be able to fight on through anything. And so must she. But their battles are different. Heero's fight is against OZ. Hers is against war altogether. She realizes that much of this will not be taken easily, if at all. But she will continue to fulfill the Peacecraft wish. She pulled up her chair and sat down. Sometimes she wished she didn't have to do this. But she was the only one left to carry it out. Her brother felt incapable of taking the task himself. She understood his reasons, but sometimes she just wished that he were here and she could be at his side. But that wasn't going to happen. _Her brother..._

*****

_"Don't worry. I'm not here to harm you. In fact, I came to protect you, Ms. Relena Peacecraft."_

_"Protect me? Why should I believe that? Who are you?"_

_"My name is Lucreiza Noin. I was sent...by your brother."_

_"My...brother?"_

_"Yes. Like you, he had been in hiding and living with another identity, Zechs Marquise. But he is really Millardo Peacecraft, you older brother. I work with him. He's up there right now fighting the Radham."_

_"My brother."_

_"Come on. We have much to discuss."_

*****

_Millardo Peacecraft. Zechs Marquise._ Two names, two lives, but one person. Relena wasn't sure if he was a knight or a soldier now. A protector or a fighter. One day perhaps, I may ask him. But right now, she had other concerns. She stood up again and opened the window this time, stepping out onto the balcony. The day was beautiful. She might as well enjoy it. She closed her eyes and let the wind light graze her as her kingdom slowly came to completion.

_The Sank Kingdom..._

-----------------------------------------------

_Relena begins her mission of peace by discussing her view with Romefeller, but her ideas come up short as Romefeller continues its act of aggression worldwide. But in the midst of this, the gundams continue to fight. Back at the Sank, Relena finds another obstacle in the form of another young woman whose views are completely different from hers. Dorothy Catalona. But an even bigger surprise comes as Yumi Francious also enrolls in the school as well. Next on Gundam Tekkaman- The Heroine of the Battlefield_


	35. The Heroine of the Battlefield

Disclaimer: Same as always. But you already knew that.

Chap. 35

As Romefeller continues to battle with the Trieze Faction, members from the few countries not yet conquered by their brutal assaults meet together to discuss what to do. But the meeting's organizer, Relena Peacecraft, had her own ideas.

"Romefeller is continuing to grow in power." one of the representative exclaimed. "Pretty soon, they will come after us as well."

Another representative suggested, "We could put up defensives, but against their Sol-Tekka Dolls, they wouldn't be very effective."

The others began to murmur among themselves until Relena called their attention. When they quieted down, Relena began...

"That is why I called this meeting. I propose that instead of trying any aggressive action, we should look for a more peaceful solution. We shouldn't appear to Romefeller as a threat. That way, they would have no need to attack us in any way."

The group murmured to themselves again and one of them spoke up, "But is that really the best thing to do? Given Romefeller's dominance, would they merely stop with their conquest?"

"We must stop all battles against each other." Relena answered. "We can not repeat the mistakes of the past and quarrel among each other. A peaceful co-existence would be in the best interest of all people. To that end, the Sank Kingdom will support any nation that wants to accept this path. And also, I will be attending a meeting with Romefeller to discuss these ideas as well. Humanity must look to a new path now. The path of pacifism."

The group was silent through her speech and began to talk amongst each other again. Finally...

"Hm. It sounds quite reasonable."

"I agree. We'll try it your way, Ms. Relena. It sounds quite intriguing." said another.

The group of leaders spoke with each other once again, only in positive tones. As they did, the representative nearest to her whispered, "You idea is quite the bold statement."

Relena simply turned to the elder man and whispered back, "I'm just following my father's footsteps. But I will need all your help."

The man nodded, "We'll do our best."

Relena nodded, but wasn't relaxed. She knew that Romefeller wouldn't be as accepting of her ideals as they were. But she still had to try. She had to continue strong, for everyone.

************

_Beach, unknown_

The sunset-lit beach glistened beautifully as the sun lowered into the horizon. On this beach, two figures were seated by the trees. One was sitting alone while the other was tossing a stick outward. Two dogs appeared to fetch the stick and bring it back. Taking the stick back, Heero paused to take a look at his friend, who was simply sitting there, looking out into the sea. The dogs, seeing that Heero wouldn't throw the stick anytime soon, scampered over to Quatre. Quatre blinked and looked at the two pups while they sat before him, panting and wagging their tails.

"Dogs instinctively know kind people." Heero said

Quatre merely stared back at the little dogs, which were still waiting for a response from him, "But is it really necessary in war? In battle?"

Hero simply turned outward, "No. But it is necessary."

Quatre's mood lightened a bit and he reached out the pet the dogs. "But I'm still am unsure. Should we even fight?"

Heero didn't turn to him, "This is battle. This is war. To fight is what it means to be a tekkaman. I will continue to fight."

"I see."

He knew what Heero said was true. But still, was this all there was? They don't even really know who their real enemy is anymore. But Heero seemed so sure. The soul of outer space told him that. As well as that they returned to Earth for a different reason, one that he just didn't see yet. He still felt lost about his place in things now. He's been like that ever since Trowa...

*********

_Outside the Sank Kingdom_

A golden limousine cruised toward the beautiful city. But before it reached it, the car stopped and the door opened. A young girl stepped out and looked at it. She was blond, with extremely long hair and strange forked eyebrows. Her clear blue eyes scanned the small town before turning to the opposite direction. A distance away, she was able to make out a few Virgo carriers shipping off toward some unknown direction. At this the girl frowned.

"Aw, how disappointing. They should attack the Sank Kingdom instead."

*************

_Beach, unknown_

The smoldering remains of the Radham still smoked when Noin arrived. The sliced carcasses and parts instantly told her that her target was there.

_'They were here alright.'_ She took a closer look and then turned outward toward the sea. _'And seeing the damage, they couldn't have gotten too far. It's a long stretch, but it's all I've got for now.'_

Suddenly, Noin's instincts went on full alert. She quickly reeled around and pulled her gun out and held it up. By the time she was finished, she realized that the person that came up behind her had done the same.

"Who might you be?"

"Sally Po."

The two of them continued to hold their guns on each other.

"I take it you're looking for the gundams as well." Sally continued.

"Sally Po. I've heard of you." Noin responded. "You've done your share of damage in the old OZ days."

Sally narrowed her eyes a bit, "I guess I should be flattered. Now why don't you tell me who you are?"

"Noin. Special agent of the Sank Kingdom."

Sally blinked, "Sank Kingdom? Well, I am surprised. Why are you searching for the gundams?"

Noin began to relax a bit, but she didn't lower her weapon, "To protect the Sank Kingdom. It's only a matter of time before Romefeller decides to attack."

Sally relaxed as well, "Well, seeing that we have similar goals, I suppose these aren't necessary then." Both women lowered their weapon and put them away. Sally looked out into the horizon briefly.

Noin stood next to her, "You just missed them. They should be some distance away from here by now."

Sally nodded, "Yeah I know. And we don't know which way they may have gone." She then turned to Noin, "So I guess the first one to find them wins."

Noin turned to see Sally's smirk and gave one of her own, "Heh, fine by me. You're on."

A beep emitted out of Sally's com and she picked it up. Seeing that it was a coded message she pulled out a com-link and opened the message.

_"Sally.__ It's Fera. I finished my mission and will return to Earth shortly. Meet me at rendouzous point 2389. I'm bringing company. See ya."_

Sally puts away the com-link and turns back to Noin, "Well it looks like you get a head start."

"Perhaps well meet again."

Sally turned to leave, "At this point, I'd probably count on it. See you around, agent Noin."

*************

_Sank Kingdom..._

Relena sat at a wide desk at the end of her meeting room. After she had completed her discussions with the countries representatives, she returned to meet with the applicants of her new teaching regime. The next student was arriving now, a representative of Romefeller. Needless to say, this caused Relena's butler/adviser Pagan to worry.

"Do you think it is wise to allow someone from Romefeller to reside here? This new student may merely be a spy."

Relena answered, "It is the best way for Romefeller to learn our policies. They asked for this so I will allow it."

Pagan nodded, accepting her decision and walked away. Just then, the doors snapped open, revealing the long-haired girl from before. The girl walked up to the table and gave a small curtsey.

"Greetings, Ms. Relena. I am Dorothy Catalona. Representative of the Romefeller Foundation."

Relena stood and repeated Dorothy's action, "Welcome to the Sank Kingdom, Ms. Catalona."

"Thank you for welcoming me into your world." Dorothy then gave a dark smirk as she looked out one of the windows. "Such a lovely world. It would be such a shame for it to be destroyed, wouldn't you say? I wonder what you would do should that ever happen?"

If Relena was disturbed by her curt words, she gave no evidence of it, "I believe that the thought of such conflict can be prevented through peace and communication."

Dorothy turned halfway, the smirk still on her face, "Is that so? And what if it were the Radham? I don't think they will stand by and let you talk to them about pacifism."

Relena frowned slightly, "If it were possible, I would. But that problem is not the major issue now."

Dorothy now turned fully toward Relena and brushed a lock of hair away, "Hm. Well, I hope you understand. I'm a big supporter of war. In fact, it is my passion." She folded her arms before her, "Now that you know this, would you still let me stay here?"

Relena stepped up to her and locked gazes with Dorothy, "Yes. This is just a place to talk. The fact that we disagree only shows that communication is needed."

Dorothy's smirk remained unchanged, "Well, you certainly have courage. I admire that, Ms. Relena." Dorothy made a slight hand gesture. "So we'll 'talk' tomorrow."

Relena nodded, "Yes. Good day, Ms. Catalona."

Dorothy bowed again and left the room. As she did, she examined was she saw in Relena those first few minutes. The way she spoke those words were through and without fear. As if there was more to this than a simple belief. As if there was actual power to Relena. But Dorothy would just have to wait and see. As she walked down the hall, another student passed by her. Dorothy's eyes just managed to catch the insignia on the person's jacket.

_'A Space Knight.'_ she smirked again. _'My, we are picking up quite the class, aren't we?'_

The next student entered and Relena looked up to greet her. But at the sight of her, Relena blinked hard.

"Ms. Francious? What are you doing here?"

Yumi strode up to Relena, "I've been sent to enroll in your classes as well." Her face grew a bit worried, "That is not a problem, is it?"

Relena shook her head slightly, "No. But I never expected to see a Space Knight here, much less see you again."

Yumi looked down nervously for a moment, "Well, I wish it was just that, but there's more. I'm also here under orders to protect the Sank Kingdom from Radham attack."

"All by yourself?"

Yumi shook her head, "I'm here with my pilot Hayato as well. But you're right. It's not much. But the Chief thought it would be best to send me."

"Are you sure that the Space Knights won't need you for something more important?" Relena asked. 

"Ms. Relena. This is important."

Relena absorbed Yumi's words. She was sincere and Yumi didn't seem like the type to outright lie. There was no reason to. But Relena wasn't sure what the presence of a Space Knight would do. But then again, she has someone from Romefeller participating as well. This may be more beneficial.

"Well, I'm glad that you're here." Relena said with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow with the other students then, Yumi."

Yumi gave a quick bow and wave, "Okay. Bye."

***********

_Unknown_

"Awaken."

Within a dark chamber, a single object began to pulsate. Not much at first, but slowly it began to beat faster, like a heart. Around it, dim-flashing lights seemed to resonate along with it. A slick sound creaked from within and a spurting sound shot out. The object exploded and burst like a water balloon and a single figure dropped out of it into the darkness. The figure seemed humanoid, but not at all human in itself. The dark figure arose from the ground and stood erect. Red eyes shone from the creature as it looked upward.

"You will be the first." A voice echoed throughout the chamber. "Deal with them as you see fit. But do not kill them yet. I want them to suffer first."

The creature bowed its head in response. "As you wish, my master."

***********

_Outside Sank Kingdom..._

Dorothy had driven out of the peaceful kingdom and back to where she had seen the carriers. More were lifting off and they flew in another direction, this time flying right over her head.

"Hurry!" Dorothy cried aloud. "Unleash the dogs of war upon the Sank Kingdom!"

-----------------------

_Heero__ and Quatre continue their battle with Romefeller, but their place in the battlefield seems to diminish with Romefeller's increasing forces. Quatre learns about the __Sank__Kingdom__ and rushes to tell Heero about it. But during another battle, Heero's time expires once again. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Ray of Light; Seed of Darkness_


	36. Ray of Light Seed of Darkness

Disclaimer: Same as always. If you've been keeping up this far, you know it already.

Chap. 36

_Forest__..._

Within the trees, several Sol-Tekkas were blazing in battle with each other. As energy fire and smoke issued out, one group, the Trieze Faction, seemed to be beating the other, mainly due to a flash of light that continued to rip through the trees and annihilate the opposing Romefeller force.

"It's a tekkaman. A gundam!!!! AhhhHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

The cry of the soldier soon faded as his Sol-Tekka and he was stabbed through by the lancer sword of Tekkaman Wing. The battle now over, Heero reverted back into his human form, managing to keep his pants materialized. Looking over at the chaos he created, he simply turned around as a jeep came to pick him up. Jumping in, Heero wondered briefly about Quatre before dismissing it. Sometime ago, Heero and Quatre encountered a group of OZ soldiers from the Trieze Faction who wanted them to join them in fighting Romefeller. Heero agreed to it, saying that as a gundam, it was his duty to fight on. But Quatre was hesitant about it and finally declined. He stayed with Heero for some time until finally they parted ways. Heero now worked as a platoon leader in the group due to his powers as well as his expertise with Sol-Tekkas. He was leading one of the very people he had fought long ago. It would be a strange irony to most, but Heero didn't see it that way.

_'Quatre has his own way to find. And I have mine.'_

********

_Sank Kingdom_

Dorothy sat inside her room within the Peacecraft palace. The entire place was so white and pure. It's such a shame that it just didn't agree with her. But as these and other thoughts entered her mind, she checked her laptop computer. It displayed the recent activities of the battles around the world and in particular, the ones involving sightings of the gundams. According to the data, 01 and 04 were sighted not too far away from there. The gazed out her window and gave a dark, knowing smile.

_'I bid you welcome to the warrior's paradise.'_

************

_Town, Unknown_

In a small town near the battle site where Heero was, Quatre slowly walked into the town. He didn't much like leaving Heero by himself, but he knew Heero would be fine. It was him that had the problem. He was still unsure whether fighting was worth anything now. _What would be the point? To help OZ defeat OZ?_ It was just too much for him to think about right now and merely needed some time to think. This as well as other things, like how did he get that awesome power he displayed in space? And where was it now? Quartre last remembered using it in space, before Blade defeated him and brought him to Earth. Before Trowa...

"Hey, stop that."

Quatre turned to see an elderly shopkeeper get pushed to the ground by some OZ soldiers. The man winced as the soldiers went off their way, laughing at him all the while. Quatre immediately ran to the man and helped him up.

"Are you alright, sir?"

The man nodded and smiled at Quatre's kindness, "Just fine, lad." He looked at the retreating soldiers and frowned, "Those soldiers think they own the world or something. I bet these problems never happen in the Sank Kingdom."

Quatre blinked, "Sank Kingdom?"

The old man looked at him strangely, "You never heard of it? Well, that's a bit of a surprise. The kingdom of peace ruled by Relena Peacecraft."

"Relena...Peacecraft?"

Now Quatre was thoroughly surprised. He hadn't heard or seen Relena since the time when she visited the Space Knights. _When he was a Space Knight._ But as far as he knew, she was the daughter of the vice foreign minister, not the peace-keeping ruler from long ago. _When did she become Peacecraft?_

"Yeah. Anyways, it's just a rumor I've heard about. But one can hope, right?"

Quatre took this into brief thought. _Could that be what I'm searching for? Something to protect? Something to fight for?_ It all seemed to make sense now.

**KaBoommmm****!!!!**

Both Quatre and the old man shot their head toward the direction of the explosion. Just outside of the town, several Sol-Tekkas were engaged in a fierce battle. As the two sides warred with each other, people began to flee away. Quatre continued to watch until his tekka-set shimmered. At the same moment, one of the Sol-Tekkas exploded, revealing itself to be Tekkaman Wing.

_'Heero.'___

Quatre looked on as Wing began to decimate the Romefeller Sol-Tekkas. However, as the battle progressed, a carrier flew overhead and out emerged the Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls. They attacked with ruthless abandon, destroying many of the Trieze factions Sol-Tekkas and forcing Wing back. And with the disruptor crystals active, Wing was beginning to lose strength and gain damage.

Turning to the old man, Quatre pointed to the church where everyone else was taking refuge, "Sir, you better get away from here."

The man was more than happy to oblige, "Yes, yes, of course. See you around, sonny."

"And thank you." Quatre whispered as the man ran off. When everyone was out of sight, Quatre summoned forth his crystal.

"Tek-Setta!!!!"

**********

_Sank Kingdom…_

In one of the rooms within the palace, Relena sat in front of several students, each from different countries and governments. It was a small number, but Relena was glad. Her earlier meeting with Romefeller didn't go to well as the leaders smiled at her idea, but ignored it as well. And it was even harder with all the Sol-Tekkas that were guarding the area just outside. Looking back at the students, she smiled inwardly. _'I hope these girls are more responsive to peace than Romefeller was today.'_

"Now class, let's begin with our first lesson." Relena started. "Why do people fight? In order to achieve peace, we must start with this basic question."

"I know why, Miss Relena."

The class shifted their attention to Dorothy, who was sitting in the near center of the classroom. Her smile was in a polite manner, but her eyes told a slightly different story.

"Go ahead, Miss Dorothy." she said, equally as polite.

Dorothy nodded and stood up before the class. "It's quite simple really. People fight because they like to."

"Why do you say that?"

Dorothy shrugged as though it was something that was common knowledge. "It is simply the basic desire of mankind to fight. Humanity will war with one another no matter what the cost."

Relena gave a slight frown, "Because of that, many innocent people have lost their lives."

"That's not important." she responded. She then turned around and her gaze arose upward in a dream-like fashion. She clasped her hands together, "It is the fighting itself that make wars so beautiful. To see the human spirit at its best, engaged in battle. That is what makes us human." Her gaze lowered, "Don't you agree, Miss Francious?"

Yumi, who was seated nearby, blinked at her name being called, "Excuse me?"

Dorothy's gaze locked onto the orange-haired girl, "As a knight, you are in constant battle. Doesn't a part of you feel the sheer thrill of the fight and battle?"

Yumi looked down slightly, "I don't know. I never thought of it that way. When I fight the Radham, it's more out of defending the Earth than enjoyment."

Dorothy shrugged, "Hmm, so you have a conflict. Fighting for peace. And what do you say about that, Miss Relena?"

"I say that Yumi and I have the same goal, but different methods." Relena answered, "That shows how much peace is really needed."

"I guess we all have our ways." Dorothy shot back.

Relena slowly stood from her seat, her gaze never wavering from Dorothy's. "Dorothy, there is nothing beautiful about wars. Especially with the bloodshed that is left afterward.

Dorothy gave a slight giggle, "Nevertheless, it serves a purpose. Much like your ideals of peace. Such ideas are needed to create new wars when the leader is assassinated.

Relena stayed silent as she saw what Dorothy was implying.  But she wanted her to finish.

"And this kingdom that you've so graciously built will soon become the center of our era's history."

Relena's gaze became solid, "Peace is not simply an ideal. It is what mankind truly seeks. Because of that, my ideas will continue whether I am alive or not."

Dorothy blinked in slight surprise, but quickly smiled and nodded. Both retook their seats and Dorothy examined her 'opponent.' It seemed that each time she saw Relena, the more she was surprised by her strength. _'But is it enough, Miss Relena?'_

Meanwhile, Yumi pondered over Dorothy's words. It was true. Despite not being a violent person or even considered herself much of a fighter, she did feel something when she fought. _Something...liberating._

************

_Town..._

_'I will fight on.'_

Those were Wing's thoughts as he continued his solo battle against the Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls. Parts of his armor were singed and scorched and he was breathing raggedly. Yet he continued to charge at the soulless machines, giving them everything he had all the while keeping them away from the church. His troop had been demolished and the few remaining ones were forced to retreat. But Wing didn't care. 'I'll fight longer than anyone.' he thought as he charged straight at a Virgo and stabbed it through. The others fired on him and their comrade, blowing it up in front of Wing and hurling him to the ground. Using his lancer, he lifted himself up and stood before the church, ready to defend it.

_'Even longer than Relena.__ Guuuuuuaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!'_

Wing suddenly kneeled back to the ground and screamed in pain. He grabbed his head and his head crystal began flashing wildly. _'Noo....not....now...Exceeded....my.........limit.......guuuuuuaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!'_

The Virgos gave no heed to his cries and continued to fire. A few of the beams hit the church, but before they could do any real damage, two glowing red curved blade soared through the air and sliced right into the two lead Virgos. Tekkaman Sandrock quickly swooped into battle as he flew over Wing. He flew low under the shots of the Virgos and picked up his lancers once again. Raising them upward, he slashed through the next two and backed away. He had to destroy them before the disruptors weakened him too badly. But before he could launch another attack, a loud howl came from Wing. Sandrock looked as Wing suddenly lunged into battle again. The Virgo fired upon him, but he didn't seem to slow down as he stabbed his lancer into the first Virgo. He growled and then pounced on the next one and the next one. Sandrock watched as Wing ripped them apart like a rabid dog. He was sustaining more injuries, but he didn't care.

_'He's gone mad.'_

Wing continued to fight and his armor became totally mangled by both the attacks and his own savagery until the last Virgo was destroyed. Wing stood in the midst of the chaos he had caused as Sandrock began to approach him slowly from behind.

"Heero? Are you..."

He didn't get a chance to finish as Wing sudden snarled and attacked him. Sandrock raised his lancer to defend and the two were locked in a fierce struggle. Sandrock continued to appeal to Wing, who was glaring at him through crimson eyes.

"Heero, it's me! You have to snap out of it!"

Wing growled again and drew back to attack. He stabbed forward with his lancer, but Sandrock deflected the blow. Not giving up though, Wing lashed his leg out and caught Sandrock in the side. Sandrock stumbled and Wing leapt upward and stabbed down. But Sandrock blocked again and the lancer was just inches away from him.

"Heero!!!!!"

Wing began to growl some more and he began shaking his head. His eyes began to flash colors and Wing backed off of Sandrock and cried again. His head in his hands, Wing grasped firmly and he continued to scream. Sandrock watched as Wing suddenly began to glow and the armor began to disappear. Heero had reverted back to his original form and then passed out on the ground. Sandrock moved to pick him up, but as he did, a hovercraft flew out from the sky and began to settle near them. Looking up, Sandrock waited for it to land. A hatch opened up and Sandrock looked at the person that had come.

_Noin__..._

************

_Sank Kingdom..._

Just outside of the school, Hayato sat on the bench. His arms were stretched out and he was looking up into the sky. _'Man, I'm so bored.'_ He continued to sky gaze until his eyes shifted upward to see the Yumi descend from the palace. Hayato straightened up and turned his head to her.

"Hey Yumi. How was class?"

"It...was okay, I guess." she replied dejectedly.

"Something wrong?"

"Oh, no. It's nothing." she waved off as she took a seat beside him. Hayato began to stiffen a bit, but noticed her downward gaze.

"Hayato?"

"Hm?"

"Am I...Do you think I'm...a murderer?"

"No way!" he shot out. "You're the sweetest, kindest person I know."

He suddenly gulped after seeing that he went too far and shirked back down. But Yumi didn't seem to notice.

"But...I kill the Radham. And they have feelings. And..."

"And what?"

She seemed to curl in further to herself and then cried, "I think I enjoy it. But that's not right!"

Hayato looked at her worriedly. He wasn't exactly the type of guy to give advice on anything. And even if he was, he certainly didn't know how with Yumi. He began to look down as well.

"Yumi. I don't know how it is for you really. I'm not a tekkaman."

He looked up into the sky and thought to himself. _'Just be honest.'_

"But I can tell you how it is when I fly Alpha. To have my own set of wings and to soar through the sky. It's really unbelievable. Even when I'm fighting, a part of me enjoys that. A tekkaman would probably have the same feelings, right?"

Yumi's mood didn't change, "I...guess. But can I honestly say that I'm not a murderer?"

"Yumi. You're not a murderer." Hayato replied. "You are a Space Knight."

**********

_Cemetery..._

Pushing past the creaking gates of the cemetery, Dead End slowly walked up to his usual place at the top of the hill where the cross tombstone stood with his name on it. It was the place he often went alone to. Once or twice, David would show up to talk, but he understood that this was Dead's private place. He felt more alive here than at the HQ. He continued past the tombstone and down the other side of the hill. Dead finally came to a stop at the side of a nearby pool of water. Slowly, he looked down at his reflection as the wind lightly brushed his hair and rippled the water. He gazed at himself for a short while and then turned and began to walk up the hill. But as he did, something caught his attention. A figure was just moving away from the top tombstone and disappearing over the other side. He couldn't see who it was from his distance, but he was able to see a tint of emerald hair.

_'Who was that?'_

But before those thoughts could turn into any kind of action, he was greeted by a small portal appearing just above his head. The black void exploded and revealed a group of Radham. The creatures shrieked as they focused in on Dead and flew in to attack. Dead blinked as he looked over to where the lone figure was, but it was already gone. Shaking his head, he unsheathed his Tekka-set knife from his back and shouted.

"Tek-Setta!!!!"

Using the powers of his dark tekka-set crystal, Dead shot off into the air and transformed. By the time he reached the Radham, he was completely transformed.

"Tekkaman Dead!!!"

The monstrous Radham instantly charged at the lone tekkaman, but Dead wasted no time as he flew into his crystal hawk form and ripped trough the Radham. The alien monster screeched as he shredded right through them, leaving nothing behind but charred remains. In one swoop, Dead had wiped out the entire group. As he looked over the damage, his tekka-set glistened. Snapping in attention, Dead searched around, but there was no one in sight. _'It...must be nothing.'_ he thought uncertainly before shooting off into the sky toward the base. But he had failed to notice the same figure from before had emerged from the shadows of a tree. A figure...who also bore a tekka-set on their forehead.

*********

_Sank Kingdom..._

A plane had just landed and was slowing down. The ramp came up and the two boys began to descend, with Noin behind them. However, Heero stopped after looking at who had come to greet them.

"Relena."

Relena simply smiled and rested her arms and head on the railing.

"We meet again, Heero."

--------------

_Quatre__ and Heero are now situated in the Sank Kingdom, but Dorothy is well aware of the boys' identities and tries to force it. Meanwhile, a Radham attack calls the Knights to action, but before they could, David finds himself the target of another tekkaman. And as the Radham begins to descend on the __Sank__Kingdom__, Yumi must fight alone. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Ruthless Aggression._


	37. Ruthless Aggresion

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

Chap. 37

_Sank Kingdom, Palace..._

Heero and Quatre entered the fencing hall of the school to see the other students sparring with each other. After speaking with Relena, the two decided to stay there, although Heero seemed reluctant about it. As the class went on, Quatre stepped up to join his sparring partner. But unfortunately for him, it turned out to be none other than Dorothy Catalona.

"I heard about you." Dorothy started. "You used to be a Space Knight, weren't you?"

Quatre simply place his faceguard on, "I'd rather not talk about it."

Dorothy smirked while putting her own guard on, "Hmm. I've heard that some of the Space Knights were tekkamen in disguise." She raised her foil, "And I also heard that one of them went on a rampage and wiped out quite a few colonies."

"That sounds bad." Quatre replied quietly.

The two foils crossed and Dorothy struck first. Quatre lifted his to block, but Dorothy swiftly changed direction, stabbing instead. Quatre managed to twist his arm slightly, turning the foil downward and blocking. It was now obvious that this was no longer a simple sparring session. Dorothy smiled at Quatre's swift defense.

"Hm. I think whoever it was, was on to something. Starting a conflict to increase the tensions in space." She backed away slightly and struck again, but Quatre again blocked the blow, "I would like to meet this tekkaman."

Quatre didn't respond to her verbal taunts as Dorothy struck again, far faster than before. Surprised, Quatre lifted the foil to deflect the attack, but Dorothy attacked again, equally as swift. Quatre was forced to sidestep, but didn't attack back. A small chuckle escaped Dorothy's lips.

"Come now. Don't hold back for my sake." Her arm suddenly swung outward, bringing the foil in with a horizontal slash.  Quatre ducked, but Dorothy's control was amazing as she reversed direction and brought it back. Quatre barely caught the strike as he raised his foil in defense.

"Show me that power that was used when you destroyed the colony."

Dorothy backed away again stabbed forward. Quatre sidestepped again and stabbed his blade forward. Dorothy brought her foil back and the two clashed in the air. Dorothy then went into a series of repeating stabs, causing Quatre to back up. During all of this, Heero simply watched passively as the duel continued. Dorothy finally stopped stabbing and brought her arm back to slash. Seeing this, Quatre leveled his foil and when she struck, his blade slammed into hers hard. Neither one of them was ready for the strength of their attacks as the foils flew out of their hands. Upon seeing this, both stood upright signaling the end of the duel. As Quatre removed his faceguard, he answered her.

"I'm sorry Ms. Dorothy. But you may be mistaken."

With that, Quatre began to walk away. But Dorothy's gaze never left him and her smirk never left her face. Watching him heading toward Heero, she called out to him.

"I hope we'll duel again, Mr. Winner."

**********

_Bar..._

David sat in his usual seat in the town tavern. His drink settled before him, he lifted the glass and took a sip of his drink. As he put it back down, he began to think about the recent events. Everyone at the Command Center seemed to be on edge. They were worried that the next fight they face would not be from the Radham. Aki seemed especially worried, but you would never notice it by her cool exterior. As his thoughts wandered further, a figure walked in the bar and moved to take the seat next to him. David's eye glanced off to the side and he noticed the red fingernails and a lock of green hair.

"Dead?"

"Excuse me?"

The voice was female. Looking up, he saw that it was a woman (really this time) with long emerald hair and deep black lips. Her eyes were a shade of crimson which locked on to him as she took as seat next to him. Despite the first impression, David found the woman's appearance...quite fetching.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone else." David apologized.

The woman continued to stare into David's eyes, "Oh really? Expecting company?"

"Not really."

She finally looked away and arose from her seat. But as she did, her lips neared his ear and she whispered, "How about the two of us have some fun? I promise it will be worth your while."

David looked up at her and shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

The exotic woman led him by the hand outside and then turned into an alley. David looked at her strangely as she pushed him against the wall.

"Isn't this a little..."

But his words were cut off as the woman pressed herself on him, taking his lips into hers in a passionate kiss. David was a little lost in the woman's aggressive movements and began to kiss back until his tekka-set shimmered.

_'Wha...?'_

His eyes snapped open enough to see the woman's hand rising up with a wicked dagger in her clenched fist. Reacting, David pushed her away just as the dagger came, nearly stabbing his heart. David backed away as the woman 

"Was it good for you?" she grinned evilly. "But this night's just beginning for us."

David blinked in half-surprise as he saw her tekka-set shimmer beneath her hair. And to make matters worse, her hand produced a red crystal. And with a feral cry, she raised it into the air.

"Tek-Setta!!!!!!!"

The woman was engulfed in intense red light and shot off into the air. Watching her ascent, David rushed forward, his own crystal materializing.

"Tek-Setta!!!!!!"

David took to the air after the new tekkaman and both beams of light finally landed on top of one of the rooftops. David had transformed into his Tekkaman Sommer persona while his opponent had manifested herself as well. She wore black armor with red underneath. Her red eyes flared through the armor and in her hand was a nasty looking lancer.

"Alright, who are you? Why are you attacking me?"

"I want you dead, Space Knight." She raised her lancer, "And as for my name, call me Slayer."

Having said that, Tekkaman Slayer attacked...

**************

_Space Knight C.C._

The now blaring alarms alerted the remaining Space Knights to action. Natasha, Goliathe, Dead End and Anita assembled in front of Aki immediately.

We have to move now. A tekkaman is attacking David and he needs immediate backup.

"Roger."

Gathering aboard the Blue Earth 2, the knights launched into action. As they all flew toward the scene, Aki received a message from Honda.

"Chief."

"Yes. What is it?" Aki asked quickly.

Honda was frowning over the set, "Another problem. A group of Radham have appeared in sector 232 and descending fast."

Aki frowned openly, "Alert Yumi and Hayato. They'll have to handle it."

"Do you think those two are enough?"

Aki was unsure herself, but at this point there was no choice.

"They have to be."

**************

_Sank Kingdom..._

During another of Relena's seminars, Yumi was quietly listening from her seat. In mid-speech, Yumi half jumped as her communicator went off. Relena stopped as she glanced over at Yumi, who had received the message from the command center. Yumi then stood up and addressed Relena.

"I'm sorry, Miss Relena, but I have to go."

Relena nodded understandingly, "Be careful, Miss Francious."

Yumi quickly ran out of the classroom, but Dorothy spoke up just before she left.

"Have fun, Miss Francious."

Yumi let the comment slide as she ran out of the palace. Outside, Hayato had just rolled in with his jeep after receiving the same communications. Yumi jumped in and Hayato drove away, heading toward his craft Alpha, which were just on the outskirts of town. The class watched as they drove off and Dorothy couldn't help, but slide in another comment.

"Off to the battlefield she goes. Off to become alive once again."

Also watching her departure were the two gundam boys, who were silently watching from somewhere else. Quatre turned to Heero, who simply lowered his head.

***********

_Town..._

Sommer wasn't faring too well against the female tekkaman, who was currently dissecting him. She attacked with a rage and power he had seen only in Dead and Blade. Sommer continued to be hammered back while Slayer smashed him through one of the buildings. Sommer shot of on the other side, but managed to recover and fly in mid-air.

"What's wrong, Sommer? Not enjoying the date?"

She charged again and Sommer raised his lancer to block. However the resulting clash was too great for him and he was hit to the ground where he smashed into a parked car. Slayer hovered just above him.

"I guess it's time for the long kiss goodnight."

Raising her lancer she dove down on him making ready to run him through. But a beam of light caught her attention and forced her to halt he attack and fly to the left. As soon as she did, a Voltekka beam whizzed right past her and exploded on the concrete ground. Slayer turned her focus on the approaching Knights, headed by Vesna, who had fired the Voltekka.

"Back off."

Slayer cocked her head to the side, "Oooh. Competition."

Vesna charged and clashed with the dark female, but was unable to push her back. Slayer struggled briefly a bit and then shoved her back. Activating her jets, Slayer charged and slashed Vesna across the chest. Vesna cried out in pain and flew back. Slayer moved in for the kill but was stopped off by both Aki and Dead. Continuing her charge, Slayer shot into her crystal-hawk form, plowing through the two and slamming into Vesna. Vesna was hurled ground-ward and hit the wall of a building. Slayer looked down and began to charge again when the dark form of Dead cut her off. Slayer shot air-ward and Dead followed. The two clashed blades, but unlike before, neither tekkaman had the advantage. Slayer continued to struggle when her tekka-set went off.

"We'll meet again, little one."

Suddenly, Slayer broke away and shot off into the sky, leaving the battered knights behind. Dead watched as she left, his thoughts remembering her last words.

_'Little one...? No. It....can't be...'_

**********

Alpha soared into the high skies over the Sank area. Since it wasn't equipped to fly any higher in the atmosphere, the two would have to wait until the Radham arrived. Sure enough, that's what happened. Specks of light appeared as the Radham creatures approached. Yumi looked down at her pink crystal, readying to fight.

"Alright, Yumi. You ready?"

"Yes. I'm ready."

"Be careful out there."

Tek-Setta!!!"

A pink light flooded the ship briefly and shot out into the sky. It soared upward and then back on top of Alpha, reforming into...

Tekkaman Hiver!"

Hiver summoned her sword lancer as Alpha shot ahead into the enemy troops. When close enough, Hiver let out a single cry and leapt of the craft and into the Radham. With a single swipe, she cut the first one in half and then jumped to the next on. As she battled, she began to notice something about the way she was fighting. Sure she was doing this to protect the Sank Kingdom, but she couldn't help but feel the exhilaration of fighting the Radham. _'Is Dorothy right about me? Am I...a monster....like these things?'_

Her train of thought distracted her briefly, enough for one of the alien monsters to bear down on her. But before it could, several laser bolt shot through it and ripped it to shreds. Hayato swooped near and picked her up.

"We better end this quick Yumi."

Hiver refocused on the battle and nodded in response. She began to summon her energy as she crossed her arms in front of her, calling forth her greatest weapon.

"Reactor...Voltekka!!!!!!!"

A massive wave of light shot out and on Hiver command, it split up into several beams. Each on hit one of the Radham and reflected onto another and another until they were all engulf by it. Hiver watched as they all exploded before powering down the weapon. The Radham were defeated once again, but Hiver didn't feel too victorious.

"Alright. You did it Yumi. Huh? Yumi?"

Hiver remained motionless for a while before looking down at her pilot.

"Let's...just head back."

Hayato was a bit confused by her attitude, but obeyed and flew back down to the Sank.

**********

_Unknown...._

The woman that was the tekkaman Slayer rematerialized into her human form. Picking up a pair of clothes nearby, she dressed herself as she though of her previous battle.

_'So it really was you, Kenji. You survived as well. But make no mistake, little one. If you interfere, I'll kill you.'_ A wicked grin curled up her dark lips. _'Unless.__ What if you were to join us? That would be fun.'_ She turned and began to walk away.

_'I'll be seeing you again soon, little brother.'_

-----------------------

_With the appearance of the new tekkaman Slayer, the Space Knights have increased their defenses, but without Yumi there, they still aren't at full strength. Dead End reveals the mystery of this new tekkaman which doesn't bode too well with the others. Meanwhile, Romefeller has begun its own plan of attacking the Sank by herding the defeated members of the Trieze faction into them. But instead, they run into the unexpected defenses of the Kingdom. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: The __Glass____Kingdom__._


	38. The Glass Kingdom

Disclaimer: You know the drill

Chap. 38

_Sank Kingdom_

"What's that? Another tekkaman?"

Yumi gasped over the communicator as Aki explained to her and Hayato about the new Tekkaman Slayer.

"She attacked us yesterday while you were in battle with the Radham. It seemed like a diversion so you'll have to be on alert."

"Roger Chief."

Aki continued, "If you encounter her, call in immediately. She's powerful and dangerous so exercize extreme caution."

"Roger." the two repeated.

The line cut off and both teens looked at each other.

"Whoa. Another tekkaman." Hayato exclaimed.

Yumi nodded, "Tell me about it. I wonder who she is."

*******

_Elsewhere in the Sank..._

In the far off section of the kingdom's borders, a group of Pro-Trieze soldiers were moving around working frantically. Within the camp, the group's leader was just contacted by the capital. Activating the screen, Noin's face appeared before him.

"Ms. Noin. We'll leave as soon as we can." The leader explained. "I'm sorry for the trouble we caused, but I'm afraid that Romefeller has been driving us here just to invade the kingdom."

Noin nodded over the viewscreen, "I know. I have been given permission to offer you asylum."

The soldier blinked in surprise, "What?"

Noin went on to explain, "You will be treated as refugees as long as you remain."

The soldier's face darkened a bit, as in thought. Finally, "I would like to thank you, but we can't accept. There's no need to drag you in this war."

"Hardly. This is just Romefeller's way of disruption. They wouldn't dare fight here. Many of the daughters of prominent leaders study here. That would make them nervous about waging a battle here."

"Even so, the risk is far too great." A slight smile formed on his face, "Don't worry. We'll be fine. I didn't survive the first Radham War just to die now." The smile disappeared, "Thank you for the effort though. Tell Miss Relena that we appreciate the offer, but we'll take our leave."

Noin stared at him briefly and gave a short salute, "Good luck then."

***********

_Space Knight HQ_

David sat in his quarters, busily working on a project the Chief had given him. After the attack of Tekkaman Slayer, she wasn't taking any chances and put the knights on high alert. Natasha was in the medical ward, recovering from the slash Slayer had given her. All they had to do now was wait.

"David."

David nearly jumped after seeing Dead enter the room, "Oh, sorry. You kind of surprised me there a bit."

Dead gave him a strange look, "Oh really?"

David gave a half-laugh after seeing his own reaction. "Yeah. You wouldn't believe how much she looked like you, Dead. It was creepy to say the least."

Beneath his hair, Dead gave a sad look, "About that. I need to talk to you."

David noticed his change of tone, "Oh, yeah. What about?"

"It's about Tekkaman Slayer. I...know who she is."

**********

_Sank Kingdom..._

Relena was currently on line with an OZ general who was approaching the Sank with a force of Sol-Tekkas. Relena was adamant about not allowing them to enter the borders of the Sank.

"I have been ordered to remove the rebels located in your territory." the general argued back.

Relena narrowed her gaze, "The soldiers in question are now political refugees of the Sank Kingdom."

"Refugees?" he asked in disbelief.

"That's right." she replied evenly. "And if you or any of your forces enter this air-space, I'll file a formal complaint with your superiors immediately."

The general suddenly fell into a loose smirk, "I'm afraid you may be mistaken. We only have the interest of the kingdom and have been order to stop the rebels before they attack the capital. Now, it'll be much easier to get rid of them now."

Relena's glare hardened, "I repeat. You will not enter..."

_Click_

The viewscreen cut off suddenly and Relena frowned. It was obvious that they were going to fight regardless. Getting up from her seat, she quickly moved for the exit. Pagan, who had been standing nearby looked at her with concern.

"Ms. Relena?"

"Take me to the area." she ordered. "I'll stop this myself."

The elderly man blinked in complete shock, "But Ms Relena, it's far too dangerous. It could become a battlefield at any moment."

"Never mind. I'll get there myself."

Before Pagan could protest, Relena strode past him out of her quarters and the exit. But when she moved down the stairs, an unusual sight awaited her.

"Ms. Dorothy?"

Dorothy was waiting before her, her gold limousine ready to go.

"Please hurry. The battle will begin soon."

Relena shook of her surprise and simply entered the limo. Dorothy smiled as she entered the driver's seat and drove off.

**********

_Nearby...___

"Hey, what going on?"

Yumi and Hayato looked up in the air to see the approaching objects lower down over an area a distance away. Seconds later, an explosion erupted in the same area.

"Looks like a battle." Yumi commented.

Hayato nodded, "Could it be Radham?"

"I don't know. Let's find out."

Two minutes later, Alpha ship flew off into the air.

**********

In the Trieze Faction camp, the soldiers were moving diligently. However, after finding out that Romefeller was approaching their area, the soldiers were also arming high detonation devices on their Sol-Tekkas. The chances of their escaping now was slim to impossible so rather than fight back, they would destroy themselves instead in order to prevent battle in the peaceful kingdom.

The leader continued to move the men, "Hurry up, let's go. Move it."

"Planning on dying, I see."

The soldier suddenly turned and drew his pistol at the sound of the voice. He knew for certain it wasn't one of his men. Focusing it on the figure in the forest, he cocked the trigger.

"Who are you?"

The figure approached, hands raised in the air and revealing its identity. Heero Yuy.

The leader blinked in recognition, "Wait a minute. You're...a gundam."

Heero simply strode into the camp, "It would be more sufficient for a soldier who is prepared to die to fight for something worthwhile."

The leader gave him a questioning look, "Are you suggesting that we should fight for the Sank?"

"I will fight alone if I have to. But I'm not going to disagree if you want to fight as well."

The leader considered his words and lowered the pistol. Giving him a brief smile, "Sure. Why not."

**************

_Space Knight HQ_

David sat in his seat while Dead stood by the window. He had been quiet for awhile and seemed lost in thought. David had never seen Dead like this before. Dead was always quiet, but he never seemed uncertain. Dead finally sighed deeply and began.

"When the Prague colony was destroyed, I survived by retracting into my primary body form. I suspect that is how she survived as well."

David blinked in surprise, "Are you saying that Tekkaman Slayer is from Prague too?"

"Yes."

David couldn't believe it. Colony 855- Prague was one of the outermost colonies and also one of the prime targets in the Radham war. All the inhabitants of the colony were captured by the tekkapods and either made into primary bodies or died by rejection. But they never reached full transformation due to the interference of Tekkaman Blade when he destroyed the pods. Though not complete, they were far stronger than normal people. Later on, they began to rebel against the Earth Sphere and the colony was destroyed. David, who had been there at the time, was saved by Aki when she arrived to try and stop the fighting. But her efforts were in vain as they destroyed the entire colony. Since then, it was assumed that no one survived, aside from Dead. And that in itself was a sheer miracle. Now Dead was telling him that another person had survived and had also become a full Tekkaman. As David contemplated this, he slowly noticed Dead's more than disturbed demeanor.

"Dead. Who is she?"

Dead slowly turned to him, emerald eyes locked onto him and answered softly.

"Aurora. My older sister."

********

_Outskirts of Sank Kingdom..._

Three carrier ships slowly flew in from over the horizon and toward the forest. When then came close enough, the carrier opened up and multiple objects dropped out. Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls. The Dolls activated in the air and hovered down to the ground and into the trees. Using their sensors, they scanned the forest in search of their prey. Finally, they locked on to a Leo Sol-Tekka deep in the woods. Without waiting, the machines moved toward the machine and fired. The machine exploded and the Virgos continued their advance. But suddenly a beam fired out and destroyed the lead Virgo. As the Sol-Tekkas turned to attention, more beams fired out from the far end. From the skies over the forest, several white objects swooped in to attack. They were Taurus Sol-Tekkas, but they were colored in pearl white instead of the usual sleek black look. Also, they weren't equipped with the disruptor crystals of the previous ones, making them much faster. The machine soared over the Virgos, destroying a couple more before lowering to the ground and transforming into their humanoid states. Now grounded, the Tauruses opened fire again and caught the Dolls from behind.

"Drag them out into the open." Noin ordered from her lead Taurus suit. "We have to pull them away from the border."

"Roger." Quatre responded from another Sol-Tekka. He had preferred to fight in the Sol-Tekka in order to help out the soldiers. The Tauruses continued their fire, blasting away on the Virgos. But the Virgo were far from done as they activated there deflector shield and fired back. However, the maneuverability of the Tauruses made them difficult targets. And the Virgos were about to receive another surprise.

**_Shraaaannnggggggg_****_!!!!!_**

A sharp object suddenly stabbed through the Virgo from behind and destroyed it. Swooping out of the woods, Wing Tekkaman emerged into the battle. With their backs turned and their disruptors inactive, Wing quickly began to decimate the enemy Dolls. He lashed out his cable cord, attached it to his fallen lance and pulled back, allowing it to swing to the side and slice more. Now pressed between the Tauruses and the gundam tekkaman, the Virgos quickly began to fall.

Meanwhile, just entering the scene, Relena and Dorothy had driven in just in time to see the battle. Dorothy smiled as the battle waged while Relena focused in her determination. Suddenly, a damaged Doll veered away from the battle and began to descend upon them. Dorothy quickly hit the brakes and swerved the car away, but it slid on the road and crash into a nearby tree. Relena groggily looked up to see Dorothy unconscious at the wheel. Relena shook her to wake her up, but stopped short when the damaged Doll focused on them. Mistaking them for target, the damaged machine aimed at them to fire, but its cannon was suddenly sliced off and the machine fell back and exploded. Relena quickly looked at the lancer and instantly realized that that wasn't Wing's

"Are you alright?"

Turning to the other window, Relena was surprised to be faced with Tekkaman Hiver.

"Yumi? What are you doing here?"  
  


Hiver replied, Well, I thought it was Radham and well...it doesn't matter now."

Hiver looked up into the air and saw the other Virgo Dolls locking on to her. Standing before the limo, she centered her arms forward.

"Reactor Voltekka!"

The beam fired out, but before it could get any distance, it split into two beams and circled around, meeting each other and continuing on, creating an energy shield around herself and the limo. The Virgos were ready to fire, but they were taken down by two Tauruses; Noin and Quatre. Within a few minutes, the Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls were completely destroyed. The machines land around the limo and Noin and Quatre exited theirs while Heero transformed back into his human form.

"I apologize, Miss Relena. I shouldn't have armed the Sank without your say so. But it was necessary."

Relena didn't respond and merely gazed at the white machines. Believe it or not, they had just saved her life and protected what she had worked hard to create. Turning back, her gaze traced over to Heero. Heero met her glaze.

"As total peace draws closer, battles like these will emerge. This country will need protection. Since we have a mutual goal, I will remain here to help build a defense force."

Relena considered his words and looked back at the Tauruses again. He was right about this. _Every kingdom should have its knights. Even a peaceful one._

"Very well." she replied. "Do what you must."

Unknown to them, Dorothy was wide awake and listening in on the conversation with a smile.

_'So I was right after all. You are quite amazing, Miss Relena. You are as strong as I thought.'_

**********

_Unknown..._

"Report, Slayer."

The black tekkaman was kneeling on the ground, "Earth will be ours in no time. The foolish humans are too busy warring with each other and are quite vulnerable. The only thing in our way is the Space Knights and they are no match for us. I fought them all and nearly brought them to their knees."

"Nearly?"

"There was another. A tekkaman of considerable power who is aligned with them. But I can rectify that."

"Explain."

"If he joins us, then he would be a powerful ally."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

A smirk could be sensed beneath the dark armor, "Oh, just a little family reunion."

"Very well. Proceed according to your desire."

"Yes master. Well little one. It's time to play again."

---------------------

_As the Space Knights prepare for another Radham attack, they are approached by Romefeller, who uses Yumi's defense of Relena to claim that they have joined forces with the __Sank__Kingdom__. As Aki attempts to buy time, Slayer approaches Dead and challenges him one-on one. But the crafty tekkaman uses the battle to try to convince Dead into joining the Radham. David intervenes and Dead is unable to choose between his friend and his sister. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Bonds of Blood._


	39. Bonds of Blood

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Chap. 39

_Space____Knights____Command____Center__..._

Aki sat in her office, a dark gaze focused as she spoke with an OZ general who was currently accusing the Space Knights in defending the Sank Kingdom's borders against Romefeller and forming an alliance with the kingdom. Aki expected this, but it still irritated her.

"The Space Knights have formed no such alliance." Aki explained firmly. "While it is true that one of our knights is in the kingdom, she has been ordered only to battle any Radham threat, not Romefeller."

The general however, sneered, "Oh really? This shows otherwise."

He then clicked on a dial and the screen changed. Aki watched as it displayed the battle between the Romefeller Dolls and the Sank Kingdom's White Taurus. But what it was focused on was the scene when Yumi used the Reactor Voltekka to shield Relena from the attacking Dolls. The tape cut off abruptly, and the commander's face reappeared.

"Care to explain this?"

Aki was unfazed, "I can assure you that this is not what you believe it to be."

The general gave a dark smirk, "Well as the saying goes, a picture's worth a thousand words. You're treading on dangerous ground, knight."

"If you will let me..."

_Click..._

Aki sighed as the general severed the transmission. She knew that Romefeller was only using this to have a excuse to try an aggressive tactic against them, but now it seems that they are using it against the Sank Kingdom as well. _'Time is running short for us.'_ she mused bitterly. Switching the monitor back on, she contacted the lower level of the command center.

"How's it going down there?"

Honda's face came up on the viewer, "We're moving as quickly as possible. But even so, we've got several days work going on down here."

"How long?"

The elder mechanic sighed deeply, "At this rate, a week. I can probably speed it up to five days, but there are no guarantees."

Aki nodded, "Keep at it. They have to be ready as soon as possible."

Honda nodded and the transmission cut off again. Aki closed her eyes and relaxed against the back of the chair. After she sat still for a couple of minute, a shadowy figure emerged from behind her and looked down at her. But Aki didn't move.

_'It has been a long day.'_

Moving over to the sleeping woman, D-Boy softly lifted her up and carried her to a nearby bed. Aki didn't awake as she was gently placed on the bed, where she relaxed into it. D-Boy smiled and lightly brushed a lock of hair away from her face. Aki smiled within her sleep and D-Boy turned away from his love.

_'Rest, Aki. You'll need it.'_

***********

_Elsewhere in the __Command____Center__..._

Dead sat outside the deck of the command center, thinking about the arrival of Tekkaman Slayer. He knew it was her. She was the only one who ever called him 'little one'. But what happened to her? How did she survive? And how did she become the dark tekkaman Slayer. Was it the same as with him? An accident that brought it about by pure chance? Or was it something else? Dead sighed mentally. He was glad that David had not told the Chief that Slayer was his sister, but David pointed out that he would have to tell her eventually, and soon. He just needed time to thi...

_Tssshhh__..._

Dead's head suddenly snapped upward. A shimmering glow appeared on his forehead, showing the mark of his tekka-set crystal. Someone was calling him. And he knew who it was.

_'Little one.'___

Dead slowly stood up and walked away, unaware that another figure hand exited the command center and was watching him...

************

_Sank Kingdom..._

In one of the larger rooms of the palace, Quatre was sitting before a large piano. His eyes closed, the only thing that moved were his fingers as he rapidly keyed every note, creating beautiful, but sad music. The music seemed to reflect Quatre's current frame of mine. The music continued for some time until Quatre finally finished the song. Slowly Quatre opened his eyes and he sighed to himself. The sound of light clapping caught his attention as he turned his head to see Noin applauding the song.

"You play marvelously, Quatre." she noted, "But the song...so melancholy."

Quatre looked away, seeing that the music had made his mood obvious. Seeing the young Arabian's discomfort, Noin changed the subject, "Romefeller is mobilizing its forces. It seems that they are no longer nervous about a possible fight in the Sank."

Quatre continued to stare down, "Last time, we had surprise on our side. But I fear that that won't be enough next time."

Noin nodded in agreement, "You're right about that. Right now, they're moving into Luxemburg to finish the Treize Faction. Given Romefeller's resources, we'll be in a tight spot if they decide on a full-scale attack here."

"Do you really think they would do that?"

"We have to be ready for that possibility." she answered sadly.

Quatre closed his eyes in thought. _'What can we do?' We're obviously outnumbered. And it's only a matter of time. But still, we can't just give up. There has to be something we could do.'_

"I think I know where to get some help."

***********

_Graveyard..._

Dead slowly walked toward the gates of the cemetery, entering the ancient burial site. His tekka-set shimmered constantly as he followed the call of Slayer. Walking pass the grey slabs of stones, he reached the small pond on the opposite side of the hill. It was there that he saw Slayer. She was in human form, dressed in leather clothes and jacket. Her green hair waved through the wind as Dead walked up behind her.

"Auroua? Is that really you?" he asked.

A deep smile coursed over the woman's lips, "It is little one."

Dead moved closer, a slight frown on his face. "I...told you to stop calling me that."

"Heh, yeah you did." she laughed. "But since when did that stop me?"

Dead began to show a smile, but it quickly faded away. "Auroua, how did you survive?"

"Careful." She turned her head and her eye caught his sideways. "You may make it sound like you might be disappointed." she continued icily.

"You know that not true." Dead countered. "But after the bomb, no one survived."

"You did."

"Not at first." he said darkly.

Auroua turned to face him fully, "Ah, so that's why you're calling yourself Dead End now." She placed a hand on her hip, "I guess it's genetic. We're survivors, you and I." Her eyes locked with his, "That's why I'm here for you."

Dead narrowed his eyes, "For me?"

"Yes. This world will soon end. But there is hope for you yet. You are strong. You can survive." She slowly let out her hand to him and beckoned.

"Come with me and live."

Dead didn't answer her. He didn't know what to think of all of this. His sister had unexpectedly returned from the dead and now he had the chance to rejoin her. _But for what purpose?__ To destroy the world? Was she really with Radham?_ He didn't know what to do. But before he could think about it any more, his tekka-set shimmered again, along with hers. Turning their heads, they saw David standing nearby beside one of the tombstones.

"No Dead. Think about what she saying."

Auroua smiled evilly at the appearance of the blond Space Knight, "Ah, if it isn't the boy toy. Come for another kiss?"

Dead quickly faced David, "David, stay out of this."

Auroua shook her head as she began to raise her arm, "Actually, David could provide some amusement while you figure things out."

Dead turned back, seeing that her upraised hand held her red tekka-set crystal. "What are you...?"

Her body began to glow in deep red energy, her grin never leaving her face.

"Time to play again, David. Tek-Setta!!!!"

Her glowing body exploded in a flash of energy and was followed with a sound of shattering glass. When the light cleared, Auroua was replaced with her dark alter-ego; Tekkaman Slayer.

David just back and summoned his own crystal, but Dead called out to him.

"David, don't!"

David didn't listen as he raised his hand, "Tek-Setta!!!"

David's body exploded with energy as well and he had transformed into his tekka-form, Tekkaman Sommer. Slayer called her lancer out and pointed it at him.

"Come, Sommer. Come to the slaughter."

***********

_Sank Kingdom..._

"Hey, what the...? Come back here."

Hayato yelled in vain as a figure entered Alpha ship and flew off to the sky. Hayato and Yumi watched as the ship disappeared into the clouds.

"Aw, man. We're in deep trouble now."

Yumi continued to gaze into the air. "That...was Heero. Where the heck is he going?"

Hayato didn't answer and just fumed at Heero's act. The action was also noticed by the inhabitants of the palace. Particularly Noin, Quatre and Relena.

"Heero?"

"Where is he going?" Noin questioned.

Quatre's tekka-set shimmered briefly before he answered. "Luxemburg. He's going to fight in the battle." Turning to Noin, "I better go immediately. I'll try to return as fast as I can."

Noin nodded and Quatre left the room, leaving Noin and Relena behind. Noin looked over at Relena as she continued to gaze out the window and into the sky. Relena had hoped that Heero would stay behind longer, but the battlefield had obviously called to him again.

_'Heero...'_

***********

The sky over the cemetery sparked with sounds of clashing and blazing light as Slayer and Sommer battled. Sommer was caught off-guard last time they battle and felt more prepared to fight her. But despite that, Slayer was still picking him apart. She was just as powerful as Dead, and not as hesitant to kill him. She dove in on the Knight and struck down with her lancer. Sommer blocked the blow, but it had stunned him enough for her to kick him in the face. Sommer staggered back in the air and Slayer rushed toward him. Sommer tried to sidestep the attack, but she had flown by and grabbed his leg. Dragging him toward the ground, Slayer released his leg and tossed him down. Sommer was barely able slow himself down and his back smashed against one of the tombstones. Weakly getting back to his feet, Sommer looked over at Dead, who was watching the battle.

"Dead…"

Dead didn't move and simply gave a helpless look. At that moment, Slayer jumped down and landed behind Sommer.

"Come with me Dead. There's no reason to stay here."

Sommer steadied his legs and faced the dark tekkaman, "Leave him…alone."

Slayer simply chuckled, "Now I can't do that. See, I want my brother back with me. Don't you want the same, _Kenji_?"

Dead blinked at the sound of the name. _His name…_ He hadn't heard it in a long time. Dead stood still for a moment and then involuntarily took a step…

"Voltekka!!!!"

Sommer had heard enough. Using the time to re-gather his energy, Sommer arched his arms back and then flailed them forward, firing a Voltekka blast. Slayer didn't flinch as the beam smashed right into her, causing a big explosion. Sommer stood ready to fight should she come out of the smoke, but in truth, he knew he spent the last of his energy in that blast.

"Does this mean you don't like me?"

Sommer blinked in surprise as Slayer stood, not before him, but right beside him. Sommer turned just to have the evil tekkaman give him a right hook to the jaw. Sommer flew back, nothing to stop him from flying through several tombstones and eventually hitting the ground. He struggle to rise, but was unable to and only managed to lift his head slightly. Slayer strode to him.

"No more? Oh well. It was fun while it lasted."

Slayer stopped walking and then raised her lancer. Another blade materialized and in between them were Voltekka cells. Dark energy charged around the weapon and she aimed it straight at Sommer. Sommer looked in horror, knowing the he can't stop or avoid it.

"Voltekka!!!!!"

A black beam of intense energy fired and swooped straight at Sommer, tearing up the ground. Sommer was forced to lay there and watch his death come right at him. But before the beam could reach him…

"Voltekka!!!!"

Another black beam clashed with her and the two exploded with tremendous force. Sommer looked as Dead, now in his tekka-form had fired his own voltekka in order to stop it. Slayer slowly turned to him.

"Are you really going to fight me, Kenji?"

Dead didn't move. He couldn't let David get killed. But at the same time, he didn't think he could really fight his sister. _'What…can I…?'_

_Tsssrrrrrr___

Suddenly, all three heads turned up to the sky were a white beam of light swooped straight at them and exploded in the sky. Looking up, a form could be made out in the blinding light. A figure both Dead and Sommer recognized.

"Tekkaman Blade!"

As the white tekkaman hovered in the sky over them, Slayer looked back at Dead, "Well, I guess we'll have to wait for another time." She began to shimmer with energy.

"I'll see you later, little one."

Slayer suddenly shot off into the sky and disappeared. Blade didn't pursue her though and looked back at the others below. Sommer had managed to get back on his feet again and he moved over to Dead.

"Dead, are you…?"

But Dead didn't reply and simply turned around and walked away.

************

_Luxemburg..._

The battle had been raging for hours. The once beautiful landscape of Luxemburg was now ravaged with fires, debris, and remains of Sol-Tekkas, mostly Leos. The fighting continued and it was obvious that the Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls had the advantage. Heavily armed and emotionless, the Dolls stomped over the landscape, demolishing the opposing Leo Sol-Tekkas. Yet despite the overwhelming odds, the soldiers continued to fight, doing everything they can to fight back. But despite their valiant efforts, they were no match for the Virgos and were slowly being destroyed.

"Don't...give up. Fight on...for Master Trieze!!!!!"

A blast exploded beside him, killing one of his soldiers. Looking at the source, he saw the advancing horde of the Virgos. With only three soldiers left in his troop, he was well aware that he wasn't going to survive. But that didn't matter. They would defend their master to the death.

It looked like in this case, that wouldn't be necessary....

"Tek-Setta!!!!!!"

Shooting from a nearby craft in the remaining bush, a flash of light soared through the air and reformed into...

"Tekkaman Wing!!!"

Without a second thought, Wing summoned his crystal-hawk mode and soared over the ground. With a screeching cry, he flashed through the Virgos, destroying them in the wave of energy. He then disengaged his crystal-hawk and shot back into the fight. Calling forth his lancer, Wing bore down on the Virgo and stabbed it through. He then jumped off the machine and slashed the next two. He then followed up by tossing his lancer at the other. The bladed weapon spun through the air and ripped through the Virgos with razor precision. Wing then lashed out his energy wire and brought his lancer back. Turning around to the other behind him, he continued the assault...

The Leo pilots watched in shock as the very thing they had fought before would come to help them now. Wing had demolished a great deal of the Virgos, driving them back. But they continued to battle with the tekkaman, activating their disruptor crystals to weaken him. As this went on, Wing began to show damage from the laser beams. Nevertheless, the tekkaman continued to fight on, never stopping once.

_'I will fight on.'_

Flying away, Wing began shot his arm forward and gripped his lancer. The Voltekka cells were summoned around it and began to charge. But a flash on his head caused him to pause and Wing cried in pain.

_'No...time...limit...'_

Wing strained as his head crystal flashed wildly. He lowed to the ground, staggering to hold his Voltekka upright. The pain in his head increased, but that didn't stop him from...

"VOLTEKKAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"

The cannon-like weapon fire and it consumed the Virgos that were coming in on him. Wing fired the stream for a few minutes before stopping. Wing continued to scream in pain, but his body glowed and the armor dissipated. With his armor gone, Heero fell to the floor, holding himself up only by his hands and knees. The pain had been excruciating, but he will recover. But suddenly, a Virgo strode out of the debris and locked onto Heero. The laser cannon was about to fire when...

"No!"

Heero looked up to see the charging cannon, but was surprised to see one of the Leos tackle the Virgo, causing the cannon fire to miss him. The Leo continued to hold it, struggling with the machine before it began to glow. Heero watched at both machines exploded, caused by the Leo's self-destruct system. Heero looked at the scene and then over the horizon. He could see the reinforcements a distance away. Even with his powers, he wouldn't be able to take them all out. Even if he had the power, the 30 minute time limit would only work against him.

"....uuhhh..."

Heero heard the sound of weak mumbles. Looking at the wrecked scene before him, he saw the battered body of the Leo pilot who had self-destruct his machine. He was badly wounded and bleeding all over the place. Heero bent down next to the man and lifted his head up.

"Protect....Master Trieze....I....beg you...."

The man's body suddenly went silent. Heero lowered the soldier back to the ground and looked again at the advancing horde. There was one way to stop them. The soldier had shown him what he had to do. Re-summoning his cracked crystal, Heero made ready to transform when....

"Don't die yet, Heero."

Heero stopped. The voice had come from a megaphone from the castle that was at the far end of the battlefield. Someone was calling him from the castle. And he could take a good guess as to whom. Turning away from the horde of Virgos, Heero made his way to the castle to meet with none other than Trieze Khusrenada.

***********

_The tension between Romefeller and the Space Knights increases. Relena tries to persuade Romefeller that the Space Knights are not aligned with the Sank, but she is caught within a Radham attack and Hiver saves her again. Meanwhile, Heero is called before an old enemy and finds that the battles are changing. Without knowing his true enemy, Trieze hands Heero a new crystal. Heero is soon endowed with powers seen only once, but finds his own sanity slipping away with it. And Fera arrives at the __Command__Center__ with an old friend. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Dark Crystal Epyon._


	40. Dark Crystal Epyon

Disclaimer: See chapter one

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_AN: 100+ reviews! Alright. Thank you all those who read this._

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Chap. 40

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_Luxemburg, Mansion_

The door to the mansion slams open and the young tekkaman entered the abode. Looking around, he saw many large hallways, not unlike the halls in the Sank Kingdom's palace. Except that the entire place was void of any lighting except the sunlight from outside. As Heero strode in, his eyes searched around for the former OZ leader. Also, a gun was in his hand just in case. He soon approached a large staircase and stopped. He turned his head around, but there still was no sign of Trieze.

"Welcome, Heero."

Heero instantly raised his gun and pointed it upward. There standing on the top of the stairs was Trieze Khusrenada. His was in his usual formal attire and his eyes focused in on the gundam tekkaman.

"I just want to talk."

"I have no reason to talk to you."

Trieze smirked, mostly to himself. "Of course not. You think to fight for the peace of earth and outer space."

"I only think of fighting." Heero retorted. "Peace only results from after the fighting is over."

Trieze closed his eyes, "Then let me ask you, then who is your enemy?" His eyes opened, "Romefeller? Me? The Radham? The colonies that betrayed you?"

Heero wasn't swayed by his words, "Anyone who fight against me."

Trieze lowered his eyes sadly, "If that the case, then you'll never stop fighting."

"It makes no difference to me."

"You don't wish to change your fate?" he asked questioningly. "Then Relena Peacecraft is stronger than you in that respect." The sad expression returned, "But I on the other hand have no desire to fight any more."

"I see." Heero replied, cocking the hammer of the gun.

"Hm. Well, if that is the case..." Trieze suddenly lifted his arm, revealing a gun of his own. Now both speakers were holding guns on each other.

"We may as well kill each other now."

* * *

_Romefeller__ Foundation..._

Relena Peacecraft has once again entered the white halls of the Romefeller Foundation. After Dorothy gave her a personal invitation from Romefeller, Relena immediately headed to the foundation. Lead by two soldiers, she was guided to the main hall in the middle of the building. There awaited a few of Romefellers top leaders. The formost person there was Duke Dermail, a thick bearded man with stern eyes. He was also Dorothy's grandfather.

"Miss Peacecraft, I'll get to the point." he started, staring down the young ruler. "For some time, you have recreated your monarchy for the purpose of estalibishing peace for the world. Yet you secretly have been gathering forces to fight against Romefeller."

Relena half-frowned, but didn't let it show. "That is absurd. I can assure that the Sank Kingdom has done no such thing."

Dermail realized back into his seat, "Then perhaps you can explain the recent actions of the Space Knight stationed within you kingdom."

Before Relena could respond, Dermail quickly activated a monitor on the desk. There it showed the video image of her rescue from the Virgo Doll blast by Tekkaman Hiver.

Relena was unfazed and calmly responded, "Yumi Francious was only there because she thought it was a Radham attack. She made no attack against you and merely saved my life."

Dermail narrowed his eyes and made ready to play his trump card, "And what of your brother?"

Surprise now registered on her face, "My brother?"

"Yes." he grinned inwardly. "We have reports from outer space showing that he has begun fighting us directly."

The monitor displayed a new image. In the field of outer space, the white Tallgeese Sol-Tekka was battling and destroying several Sol-Tekka Dolls. Relena gazed at the images silently while Dermail let his grin show openly. When the monitor clicked off, Relena faced the Romefeller leader.

"Under what name?"

Dermail blinked, "Zechs Marquise."

"Then he is not my brother." she replied.

Dermail looked at her, but there was no deception or any emotion betraying her voice. _'She really doesn't care.'_ He saw that his plan wasn't working so he would have to leave it alone. For now.

"I see. Then I apologize. We will deal with him as we see fit."

Relena gave him a slight bow, "Good day."

* * *

Heero and Trieze continued to hold their guns leveled at each other, neither one of them making a sound. Suddenly, Trieze flicks his other hand forward and an object flies out at Heero. Heero swiftly snatched it out of the air and opened his palm.

"What is this?"

Trieze answered, "Using data from the 5 scientists, I have reconstructed this. It will help you see your true enemy."

The object was a tekka-set crystal, but unlike any crystal he'd seen before. It was crystal clear and there seemed to be an empty space within it.

"I call it Epyon. You can combine it with your crystal and transform. It will show you the face of your enemy and the future thereafter." He hesitated, "I am not strong enough to handle it, for there wasn't any future for me to choose from. I imagine it would suit a gundam tekkaman better."

Heero looked back at Trieze, who knew exactly what he was thinking. Trieze Khusrenada was a primary body. Still, what did he mean by a future to choose from? As these thoughts continued, a sudden explosion erupted outside. The Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls were closing in on the mansion.

"Don't worry." Trieze started. "I won't go anywhere. But by the same token, I ask that you do not self-destruct."

Heero's eyes narrowed again and he glanced at the clear crystal. Focusing, he caused his crystal to materialize within the new one. Though it was still cracked, it shimmered with bright energy.

"Mission accepted. Tek-setta!!!!"

Both crystals ignited and Heero was engulfed within it. He shot out of the roof of the mansion and into the battlefield where the Dolls awaited. The light cleared and Heero re-emerged in his tekka-form.

"Tekkaman Wing!"

However, he was slightly different than before. His left arm now had a large protrusion on it. His lancer had changed and was now larger than before. Also, his eyes were covered, much like how Dead's was. Wing swooped into the battle and went into his crystal hawk mode. His shimmered in an intense red glow and shot through the Dolls, vaporizing them instantly. He then twisted around with incredible speed and shot right back, decimating more of them. 

_'Such power...twenty left...fifty right...eighteen in front...destroy them...'_

Wing attacked...

* * *

Relena was on her way back to the Sank Kingdom. Her invite to Romefeller haven't been much, but she did realize that she had frustrated their efforts. But that wouldn't keep up. Perhaps she should intensify her own efforts. The schooling was working well as many of her students were accepting her beliefs. But more had to be done and soon. But she couldn't rush. Peace was a gradually process and it would take time. She just hoped that she had that time.

"Penny for your thoughts, Miss Relena?"

Relena smiled at Pagan's comment. He was always perceptive of her feelings and thoughts.

"I'm just hoping I'm strong enough. Sometimes, this all can feel overwhelming."

Pagan smiled into the rear-view mirror, "Don't worry. We're all here to help you. Even an old man like me."

Relena gave a slight giggle, "Oh, Pagan..."

Suddenly, the road before them exploded. Pagan instantly hit the brakes, but the limo skidded sideways and smashed into the risen pavement. Relena had lifted herself up from the bottom of the car after having fallen down. Looking up at the driver's seat, she saw Pagan's head up against the steering wheel. Relena rushed over to the butler's unconscious body.

"Pagan! Pagan, wake up!"

However, the rumbling outside continued and Relena stopped shaking Pagan to look outside. Before her on the road was a huge crater. As she exited the vehicle, the ground suddenly blew upward, knocking her back a bit. A sickening roar emanated out and a claw emerged, revealing a Radham monster. Relena lifted back in horror as the monster focused in on her.

"Rahhhhhh...gakkkk!!"

Suddenly, an  figure landed in between Relena and the Radham. Relena recognized the pink armor immediately.

"Yumi!"

Tekkaman Hiver turned and nodded to her before looking back at the Radham in front of her. She pulled her arm back, carrying along the energy wire and her sword lancer which had been stabbed into the creature, causing it to fall dead.

"Are you okay?"

Relena nodded quickly, "Yes, I'm fine."

Hiver then turned her attention upward, where Radham were falling like meteors. Igniting her boosters, Hiver took to the skies in attack. Fortunately, the numbers weren't overwhelming, but it would take some time, during which a few would reach the ground and endanger Relena. If Hayato still had Alpha ship, she might have been able to deal with this without much of a problem. But she would have to do what she could.

"Yaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!"

With that cry, Hiver thrust into the fight, jumping on one of the falling Radham and stabbing it through. As it exploded, she leaped to the next one and repeated the act. With two down, Hiver attached her lancer with her whip and let it fly. The blade stabbed the targeted Radham and hooked it. Pulling her arm back, she swung the hooked creature right into the next two like a wrecking ball. Pulling back again, she retrieved her lancer and began to fly at the next group falling.

"Here goes!"

Hiver suddenly surrounded herself in bright pink energy and shot through the sky in her own crystal-hawk form. She zoomed straight up through the sky, ripping apart any Radham that was in her lined path. After a brief minute, she stopped high in the air and saw the few remaining Radham hurtling toward the ground. Summoning her energy, she called forth her greatest weapon.

"Reactor...Voltekka!!!!!!!"

The swarm of energy shot down and impacted the first Radham. Reacting, it split up and the resulting beams attacked the other falling down. As the beam destroyed Radham, Hiver was trying to get it to hurry, seeing that many of the Radham was about to reach the floor.

_'Come on, go.'_

The monsters were two seconds from slamming right into Relena, who at the moment was trying to help a still unconscious Pagan. Relena looked up the see the shadow of the creature crashing in, but that was soon turned into the light of the voltekka vaporizing it. The beam was to close and it itself began to head toward Relena.

_'No!'_

Concentrating hard, Hiver managed to pull the beam away from Relena, causing it to harmlessly curve away from her a minute before it vanished. Sighing, Hiver began to sloly flaot to the floor, unaware that three of the Radham was diving in above her.

Tsssrrrr!!!

An explosion suddenly alerted her attention as she looked up to see the Radham that were falling on her being blasted to smithereens. Hiver looked to the side as a couple of White Taurus Sol-Tekkas approached. One of them moved toward her unsteadily.

"You okay, Yumi?"

Underneath the helmet, Hiver blinked. "Hayato? Is that you?"

"Yeah. They let me borrow this since Heero stole Alpha."

Hiver nodded and then lowered down to the ground, where the other Sol-Tekka had already landed. A medical team had also arrived and they were currently wheeling Pagan into an ambulance. While Relena watched, she turned her attention to Hiver, who knelt down tired.

"Thank you for saving me again, Yumi."

Hiver simply waved a hand, "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

Relena looked back at the ambulance, which had now rolled away, "I just wish that your action were praised rather than used."

Hiver stood up straight, "Just focus on obtaining peace, Miss Relena. Leave the other stuff to us."

Relena simply nodded.

* * *

_Luxemburg…_

The battle continued to rage on as the Virgo fired on the new Tekkaman Wing Epyon. Their disruptors were on full power and their numbers were great. But there was one problem. This particular tekkaman seemed unaffected by the disruptors energy and it posses great power as it soared through the Dolls.

_'Fifty left...twenty supports...destroy...'_

Wing tossed the sword lancer and it stabbed through the Doll. He was about to send out his energy whip when instead he twirled his left arm. A barbed whip-like weapon extended out and stabbed the next Virgo. Pulling his arm back, the whip flashed into the air and began to glow in a deadly red. Wing lashed his arm forward again and it slashed right through the next Virgo, leaving a burning sear. Wing shot himself into a berserker rage, heat whip blazing as it ripped apart Virgos by the dozen. However, despite the incredible display of power and speed, the mind of the human within was being wracked.

_'Like...time limit...the same...out of...control...'_

Wing charged through another Virgo and swiftly grabbed the lancer. Taking it into his hands, he raised it into the air.

_'Getting rid of them all...'_

The raised lancer suddenly sprouted a set of Voltekka cells. The energy blasted upward, forming a column of light. Wing suddenly blasted forward with the massive energy.

_'Anyone who fights is my enemy!'_

The Voltekka sword flashed down, vaporizing every Virgo in its path. Wing slashed left and right, destroying Virgos without a hint of hesitation or stopping. And through all of this, the mind of the gundam was being tormented with more images.

_-"We meet again, Heero."-_

_-"Protect....Master Trieze....I....beg you...."-_

_-"I am not strong enough to handle it, for there wasn't any future for me to choose from."-_

Wing finally stopped and began to tremble and convulse.

_'Epyon...crystal...Zero...crystal...my fate...guuuaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!'___

The silent scream echoed within the mind of the gundam who left complete destruction and flames in his wake...

* * *

_Space Knight____Command____Center___

The crews in the Command Center seemed to be moving in warp speed. Engineers and mechanics were rushing through the area in fervor work. Through all of this, two figures manage to maneuver through everyone and enter the main area. There, Aki was at work as well on the terminal. Aki only manage to briefly turn her head before she realized she had company.

"Hey, did I come at a bad time?"

Aki stopped in her work and came over to greet the young woman with a hug.

"Millia, welcome back."

Millia hug the older woman back and they parted. But then another voice broke through.

"What? No hug for me?"

The surprise on Aki's face was priceless.

"Noal!"

Aki rushed over to her old friend and gave him a warm hug as well.

"It's good to be back home."

* * *

_Space Knight Noal has returned and with him, some new information for the Space Knights. Aki reveals that she is planning on completing the transformation of the tekkaman team so they would have the full power they need to fight. Heero returns to the Sank, wondering why Trieze gave him the Epyon crystal. But in the depths of outer space, Zechs has unknowingly rediscovered the Zero crystal and is endowed with his own powers. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Zero revived._


	41. Zero Revived

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Chap. 41

_Space Knight____Command____Center__..._

"Hey Chief. What's the emergency?"

The Space Knights once again assembled before the Chief where she sat in her usual pose, waiting.

"No emergency. Not this time. I'd like to introduce to you to our guests."

Motioning her hand, she indicated to the side where both Noal and Millia were standing.

"Space Knights, this is Noal and Millia."

All of the knights (minus Dead) gasped in shock, "The...original Space Knights?"

"That's right." Aki said, giving a half-smile.

Noal however, grinned openly, "What do you know? I've become a celebrity."

Natasha suddenly blinked in after-thought, "What happened to you guys though?"

"Ah yes that. Well, that's a long story. Guess I should start at the beginning." Noal started. Looking away and at the nearby window, he began to gather his thoughts. His face becoming stern, he began the story.

"After the First Radham War, I took a position as commodore in relations with the Alliance. But then I discovered what was being planned for Prague and tried to warn someone. But I was arrested and held prisoner, but not by the Alliance."

"OZ?" David questioned.

Noal shook his head, "I don't think so. They seemed to be from the colonies, but I'm not sure."

"That doesn't make sense." Natasha commented. "Why would people from the colonies want Prague destroyed?"

Noal shrugged lightly, "Your guess is as good as mine. But that's the impression they left."

Millia picked up where he left off, "Noal contacted me just before he was captured. I managed to warn Aki, but then I found that whoever captured Noal was coming after me. I couldn't return here, so I had to go into hiding. I wound up joining the Alliance undercover. I had to change my name and identity to keep them from finding me."

"That sounds rough."

"Not really. I had access to information which helped me find out where Noal was held. And with all the chaos from the coup de tat and then with Romefeller, it made it possible for me to rescue him."

At that point, Noal suddenly realized something and looked at Millia. "I do wonder, how did you find me? That kind of information couldn't have been easy to come by."

Millia turned to him with an exasperated sigh, "Do you remember who you're talking to? I may not be as advanced as Rebin, but I'm still the best when it comes to hacking. Although..." She looked up in thought, "I had to infiltrate the Lunar Base to do it. I was almost captured but I escaped with the help of the gundams."

"You've met them?" Goliathe exclaimed.

"Just two of them." Millia answered. "A Chinese boy and another with a long braid."

Anita nodded, "Duo and Wufei."

"You said you knew Prague was a target?" Dead spoke finally. "Do you know anything else? Like the survivors?'

Both knights shook their heads, "No. Why do you ask?"

Aki responded, "We've been under attack by a tekkaman who survived Prague. She calls herself Tekkaman Slayer."

"A rouge tekkaman?" Noal questioned.

"It's possible. But we don't know for sure yet."

Noal held his head, "Oh, great. We returned just in time for all the trouble."

***************

_Space..._

The blackness of the stars erupted with energy fire as the Virgo Sol-Tekkas were being blown apart by a single white Sol-Tekka. And within the Sol-Tekka, a silver masked soldier continued to battle through the lifeless machines. After his first trip, Milliardo had tried to peacefully approach Romefeller in the hopes of helping Relena get through to them. But after seeing their advances on the Sank, he realized that it would only be a matter of time before they tried more aggressive tactics. So for the sake of the Sank Kingdom, he relinquished himself to his former persona, Zechs Marquise.

"Too slow." he muttered as blasted another Virgo. "Tallgeese is now feeling slow."

With only two Dolls left, Tallgeese blasted around and through the lesser fire. Raising the energy cannon, Tallgeese easily blasted the first one and soared past. With now one left, Tallgeese unsheathed its saber and dived under the energy fire, only to shoot right back up and past the Doll. The Virgo was still for a moment before a blazing line appeared across it and it blew apart in two. As the sphere of fire glowed, Tallgeese simply watched in silence. However, the pilot inside was not as calm.

_'It seems that they are taking me more seriously than I thought.'_

Looking off to the left, Zechs saw a full force of carriers, each containing a squadron of Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls. As they swarmed out like comets, Zechs positioned the Tallgeese forward.

"Now!"

Its massive boosters opening, Tallgeese's charged straight into the heart of the enemy. Cannon locked, Tallgeese let off the first few round, blasting away at the lead Virgos. It continued on, plowing through the forces until it reach the other end. Twisting around, Tallgeese let loose another burst, blasting them from the back. But suddenly, energy blast fired and hit him from behind. Turning around, Zechs saw another group of carriers dropping off more Dolls.

_'They want to make sure the Lightning Count doesn't leave this battle.'_

Tallgeese turned and fired on the machine, aware that the first group would be advancing on him from behind. Despite that, he still battled elegantly, keeping them from closing in on him totally. But even the mighty Tallgeese was no match for such forces and was slowly getting damaged.

_'No...'_ he yelled inwardly as the Tallgeese took a blast to the cannon and rendering it useless. 

"I will not fail!"

Tallgeese went into a burst of speed and rammed right into one of the Dolls. Grabbing hold, he tossed it at a group and they destroyed it. But it provided enough cover for Tallgeese to unsheathe its saber once again and raze it across two of the Dolls. But his attack left him hampered in too close and several of the Virgos close in from behind, blasting him repeatedly. One of the venier boosters was blown apart, tossing him forward in space. However, Tallgeese turned once again.

"I will not!"

As Zechs roared that decree, his mask shimmered and a symbol formed on his forehead. At the same time, the crystal around his neck shimmered to life as well. Before Zechs could even wonder what was happened, his body became a flash of light and he soared right out of the white Sol-Tekka, eventually becoming a massive form of light.

_A crystal hawk..._

************

_Sank Kingdom_

The hanger doors opened in the hidden base beneath the Sank. Alpha ship swiftly hovered in and landed in the middle of the bay. Heero stepped out in the midst of several Taurus Sol-Tekkas and began to walk toward the exit when...

"Heero, you jerk!"

Heero didn't turn as Hayate, who had been standing near one of the Sol-Tekkas, yelled out at him.

"Why did you steal Alpha?!"

Heero didn't stop walking, but simply answered, "I needed to get somewhere fast. Be thankful that I brought it back."

Hayato fumed, "Hey, that's no excuse. Do you know how much trouble we could have been in? Hey, I'm taking to you!"

At that point, Yumi came up beside Hayato, "It's okay, Hayato. He did return it, after all."

"Grrr..."

Heero simply walked off, totally ignoring the pilot's ranting and raving while consumed with his own thoughts. After the battle at Luxemburg, he confronted Trieze who handed him his gun back. But Heero was unable to. Not because the crystal had left him physically drained, but the crystal had shown him more than even he could handle. The last thing he remembered was saying he wasn't worthy and then everything became dark. When he awoke, he was settled beside Alpha ship still with the Epyon crystal. Treize had obviously brought him their, so why didn't he take back the crystal? It was strange, but Heero didn't know Trieze well enough to know his intentions. All he knew was that he now possessed a very dangerous weapon. But given the events taking place, he would definitely need an edge.

_Shhhhrrrr__..._

Heero's forehead suddenly shimmered and he slowly raised his head. Both tekka-sets glowed lightly as Heero stared into the sky. Something...was there. Something...that was calling him. Something unknown and yet...familiar.

************

_Space Ring..._

The people within the Space Ring went about their normal activities and lives. If only they knew about the emerald haired woman who was standing near one of the windows. Her red eyes stayed focused on the looming blue orb before her. _'They have no idea what's to come.'_ she smirked to herself. _'They are as clueless as the people here. But they will soon.'_

"Your current record isn't very forthcoming, Slayer."

Slayer turned her head to look at the speaker. It was a tall man with dark black hair. His eyes were the same crimson color as hers.

"It's all part of the plan." she answered, smirking. "Besides, where's your sense of fun?"

The man frowned, "I think you've had enough fun Slayer."

Slayer gave a casual shrug and turned back to the window, "Well, do what you want. But do it somewhere else."

The man stood beside her and looked out of the window. His gaze however, was toward the stars.

"I intend to. I'm not going to waste time dancing around. Our enemies must be destroyed. I've already picked a target."

A small smile finally formed on his face as his forehead shimmered...with his own tekka-set crystal.

*************

_D-Boy's chamber..._

"Hm, still a social recluse, D. Though this is a nice room."

Noal, Miilia and Aki regrouped in D-Boy's chamber, where he awaited in front of his desk. A ghost of a smirk curved on his face at Noal's remark.

"Hm. Nice to see you too."

Noal folded his arms, "Guessing by the sound of your voice, you want to get down to business."

D-Boy linked his fingers together, "With things progressing as they are, we have to assume that Romefeller will engage us soon. Therefore, we've devised a way of improving the Knights."

Millia blinked, "Improving? How?"

Aki stepped in to explain, "When they were first undergoing the process of transformation, a disturbance from a Radham attack caused it so that they only reached 90% completion. Up until now, it wasn't needed to complete it."

"Up until now." Noal repeated.

Aki nodded, "Yes. We plan on finishing the process. That will help the team to become stronger and perhaps battle what's to come."

"Maybe. But that doesn't sound like much."

She nodded again, "True. Their power will only increase slightly, but the changes will be evident. And we've also worked on another plan as well."

Aki looked over at D-Boy who pressed a button on his desk. Behind him, the screen lit up and it showed a diagnostic display of the Vesna and Sommer.

"In addition to their completion, we also plan to equip them with these new weapon systems."

"Weapon systems?"

"Yumi already possesses the Reactor Voltekka. What we're going to do is outfit David, Tekkaman Sommer and Natasha, Tekkaman Vesna, with similar devices.

The screen changed and it focused in on Vesna, "Vesna will be equipped with the Pulse Voltekka. This system allows her to fire Voltekka bursts in addition with her Voltekka. The pulses hit a single target and create a sizable explosion."

Switching to Sommer, "Sommer will have the Voltekka Cannon. In linking it with his lancer, Sommer can create a devastating Voltekka blast which acts like a rail-gun. Targeting will have to be precise, but I think he can handle it.

"What about the other one?" Millia commented.

"Dead? There's no real way to upgrade him or give him extra weapons at this point. But his power is more than sufficient to deal with anyone."

"When do you start?" Noal questioned.

"Tomorrow, when Yumi returns. We have to do this as soon as possible."

"I agree." Millia added in. "Romefeller is getting impatient and may move sooner than we imagine."

The group was silent for a brief minute before Millia spoke up again. "I was wondering... Is there any way to contact the gundams?" She looked at the other for an expression. "Maybe ask for their help?"

Aki shook her him, "No. Aside from Heero and Quatre, the others are still scattered all over the place. We don't know their whereabouts." Turning her head away, "And even if we did, they can't help us, not now. Too much is going on to make any real moves."

Noal frowned, "So we are stuck to just prepare and wait for something to happen?"

"It wouldn't be the first time." D-Boy said simply.

"Doesn't mean I like it." he retorted before sighing, "But as always, we don't have much of a choice, huh?"

No response. With that now settled, Aki, Millia and Noal moved to exit the room while D-Boy moved toward a side exit. However, he stopped when he saw Noal stop at the exit alone. Noal turned to look at him, a grave look on his face.

"D-Boy. We have to talk."

**************

"Rise and shine."

Zechs softly moaned as he regained consciousness, "Where...you?"

Zechs slowly looked up from the bed to see a familiar face looking down over him. Howard.

"Ah, good. You remember me."

"Where am I?" he moaned again.

"Aboard the Peacemillion."

Zechs blinked, "Peacemillion?"

Howard moved away, explaining, "Yeah. It's a spaceship, and a very impressive one too. We found you out in space aboard the Tallgeese." He gave a slight grin, "Looks like you've been in quite the battle."

Zechs shook his head, realizing suddenly that his helmet was still on. His mind was a little fuzzy and he felt very weak, but he did remember the thoughts. He remembered flying in the fight, but not on the Tallgeese. He virtually saw every move the Virgos made before they even made it. He remembered soaring like an eagle, leaving vaporized Sol-Tekka Dolls in his wake. And in his hand, a strange weapon, much like what the tekkamen use. _A lancer._ And he finally remembered firing a massive wave of energy from it, annihilating everything. He knew all of this, but it was a little fuzzy at the moment.

"You could say that."

Howard leant his back on the wall, "So the Zero crystal found a new host, huh?"

Zechs blinked beneath the mask, "Zero crystal?"

"It's a long story."

Sitting up on the bed, Zechs sighed to himself and then gazed up at Howard.

"It appears I have the time to hear it."

------------------

_The rest of the Knights are told of the Chief's plan to upgrade them and they prepare themselves. But this also means that Yumi would have to be recalled from the __Sank__Kingdom__ as well. Meanwhile, Duo continues his own battle against Romefeller when a Radham attack occurs. But in the midst of the battle, Duo is introduced to yet another dark tekkaman. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Sliver of Night._


	42. Sliver of Night

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Chap. 42

_Sank Kingdom, Relena's quarters_

Yumi had entered Relena's room in order to inform Relena of her departure. The Chief had called in an hour ago and Yumi had to pack her things before leaving. Hayato was already waiting at Alpha ship in the docks and Yumi felt that she had to say goodbye personally.

"So you are leaving now?"

"I'm afraid so." Yumi answered, both the arms swaying behind her. "I really don't want to, but I have my orders."

Relena gave a light smile, "No need to worry. The Sank Kingdom can protect itself now."

Relena then stood up and began to approach her, "But even so, I appreciate everything that you've done for us. And for saving my life. Twice."

Relena held her hand out and Yumi grasped it.

"Well, I better get going." She let go and moved toward the door. "Take care, Miss Relena."

"You too."

************

_Outer space..._

A troop of Taurus Sol-Tekka carriers flew through space at a slow pace. Most of the Sol-Tekkas were dolls, but the pilots seemed to be on edge and not without good reason.

"Keep your eyes open." The commander from one of the Sol-Tekkas called. "There have been reports of units disappearing in this area."

"Roger."

The carrier soon arrived at its destination; a debris field. They had been called into that area after a convoy had mysteriously exploded. Assuming that it was Radham, it was decided that a group of Dolls go in case of attack. After reaching the point, the Sol-Tekkas, both Dolls and manned, were launched. The manned units moved in toward the largest point of debris. Judging from the damage found, it wasn't torn apart, as was the case with Radham attacks. Rather, this one was neatly sliced. They all were.

Sir, I'm picking up a distortion wave." One of the soldiers called. "Source unknown."

The commander immediately checked his radar scope, only to find it distorted.

"My radar is on the fritz..." Another soldier announced. "Wait...I'm picking up somet..."

**_Shrannngggg_****_!!!!_**

The commander turned to the soldier that spoke, only to find it sliced in half a second before it exploded. The space around the destroyed machine wavered and shimmered, ultimately forming the demonic visage of a tekkaman. _A gundam tekkaman._

"It's a tekkaman! A gundam!!!"

Tekkaman Hellscythe swiftly spun his lancer, a double bladed scythe, over his head and brought it down on the hapless Sol-Tekka, cutting it in two. The commander quickly flew back and ordered his Dolls to fight. The Dolls obeyed, activating their disruptor crystals as they fired. But Hellscythe didn't seem worried and turned to face the enemies.

"The angel of death is back from hell!"

Hellscythe charged right into the fire, dodging it occasionally as he closed in on the first Sol-Tekka Doll. Scythe spinning in his hand again, Hellscythe brought in down, cutting through the Doll and slashing apart another one behind it. Bringing it back up, he caused the scythe to carve through another pair of Dolls. The fight continued this way, with Hellscythe slicing through the enemy Dolls like wheat. His focus finally locked on the sole Sol-Tekka, the one with the commander inside. It was currently docking with the carrier and beginning to fly away. But Hellscythe wouldn't have any of it and raised his left arm.

"Running away? Not in this life, buddy."

A couple of voltekka cells formed and Hellscythe fired a blast of energy. The energy quickly caught up with the escaping carrier and ripped right through it, causing it to explode into pieces. As the fire died down, Hellscythe simply surveyed the damage he had caused and then faded away to the darkness once again.

***********

_Space Knight Command Center…_

"Yumi François, reporting in Chief."

Hayato saluted in kind as the Knights reassembled once again. Dead and Noal were absent from the meeting, but Millia was present and beside the young group. Aki's face was once again its usual serious calm.

"Due to the timing of what I am to tell you, I will be brief. As you all are aware, we are facing grave situations. The Radham, Romefeller, and now this new tekkaman. To prepare you further, I've decided to complete your tekkaman transformations."

Naturally, the team gasped at this proclamation. Natasha was the first to speak up for it. "Complete it?"

Aki continued, "As you may recall, the initial transformation was interrupted by the Radham attack on Earth and thus you only reached 90% of your completed transformations. There wasn't any need to finish it fully. Until now."

Aki then tapped a button on her console, showing the team the same schematics she showed Noal and Millia earlier.

"In addition to this Natasha, you and David will be given new upgrade module weapons."

"You mean...like Yumi's Reactor Voltekka?" David asked.

"Correct. Tekkaman Sommer- David, you will receive the Voltekka Cannon. Tekkaman Vesna- Natasha, you will receive the Pulse Voltekka. Both these weapons are as powerful as the Reactor Voltekka and take just as much control, so you will need to use them carefully. The process will begin in three hours, so you are to prepare immediately."

"Yes Chief."

Millia simply looked at the group and smiled inwardly, sensing the emotions and feelings from them. _'They are so young. But they have that kind of strength. Now I know they'll succeed, without a doubt.'_

***************

_Peacemillion__…_

Zechs walked along in the corridors of the massive spaceship. He didn't expect the ship to be so huge. _And the name, Peacemillion…what did that mean?_ He had asked Howard earlier about it, but Howard just responded that he wasn't sure about it himself. Currently, Howard was leading Zechs to the hanger that held the Tallgeese. As they moved, Howard was explaining to him the abilities of the Zero Crystal that he now possessed.

"So it's a tekkaman weapon system?"

Howard nodded, his hands stuffed in his pockets, "Well, it's a little more different than that. From what I know, the Zero Crystal acts as an enhancement for a tekkaman itself. By linking it power into the user brainwaves, it can create and direct power that enhances the tekkaman's overall ability."

"It sounds powerful. But why me?" Beneath the mask, he frowned. "I'm not even a full tekkaman."

"Well, I'm not too sure about that bit. I didn't know it would link to primary bodies too."

Zechs narrowed his eyes. So far Howard has been helpful, but he couldn't help wondering if there was more to the seemingly laid-back man. Especially considering the knowledge he had.

"Would? What does that mean?"

"Well...that another thing." he explained. "The crystal is tied directly to mental waves. As a result, it can be summoned through the same means."

"So you are saying that I summoned it somehow?"

Howard nodded again, "That would be the case. It reacts to high mental activity, whether positive or negative. But it also has the same results. The high power it grants also makes the user unstable."

"Unstable? How?" he questioned.

"The crystal affects the user on a mental level. So the strain on a person, any person, would be incredibly high. As a result, if the mind isn't strong enough to control it, then it would lead to an eventual breakdown and insanity."

Zechs took in this new information as he raised his hand to his chest and grasped the crystal. It was in fact two crystals now, with his crystal embedding inside the larger crystal. They both shimmered in his hand, reflecting of the light of his mask.

"A dangerous weapon. But a necessary one now."

Howard gave Zechs a glance and then turned to the right. "Well, here she is."

Howard had led Zechs right into the hanger area. There were one or two Sol-Tekkas, Taurus, as well as a few carriers. But in comparison to the massive hanger, those things didn't take space, leaving it somewhat barren. In the center though was the familiar white Sol-Tekka, currently being worked on by engineers.

Zechs muttered, "Tallgeese."

Howard heard his low reply, "Well, it's a shame if you plan on using the crystal that this machine will be set to waste."

Zechs walked up to his machine. It was obviously battle-scarred, but in good condition. Zechs lent a hand on it. "Hardly. Tallgeese and I still have battles to fight."

"And the crystal?"

Zechs looked at his crystal again, "I am a Sol-Tekka pilot. But I am a tekkaman as well, at least in part. I may need this."

*************

_Colony..._

Duo had just returned from his attack on the Romefeller troops in space. He was heading to his house, but decided to take a break and rest a bit. He plopped himself on a nearby bench and sighed. Despite his new powers, he still hadn't had a clear direction as to what to do. For the moment, he would just fight Romefeller in the only way he can, just as he fought OZ before on Earth.

"So how did it go?"

Duo trademark grin arose at the sound of the voice. Turning his head, he looked up to see Hilde standing beside him. 

"Oh you know the usual. Just shooting the breeze."

Hilde simply smiled as she sat next to him. After their encounter at Lunar Base, Hilde had decided to leave OZ behind and help Duo. Which seemed to more trouble than it was worth. But she didn't mind. She liked him a lot, even if he was always acting like a clown.

"Hey, I'm hungry. How about we go get some chow?"

"Good idea."

The pair arose from the bench and moved over to a nearby hot-dog stand. As Duo began to order, Hilde joked about his appetite which wasn't far-fetched as he ordered four hot dogs for himself and began munching away immediately.

"Watch. You're going to choke one day."

Duo answered, mouth still full of food, "Oh...come on. I'm....not that bad..."

Suddenly, the entire area rumbled and Duo accidentally choked on the hot dog and began coughing. Hilde patted his back to help and Duo managed to clear his throat. Hilde would have made a comment at that point, but the rumblings continued and she didn't retort. Both of them looked upward outside the colony dome to see the problem. An entire force of Radham aliens was attacking the colony. The defense lasers fired, but it wasn't enough and the Radham closed in quickly. Hilde turned to Duo, who had already taken out his tekka-set crystal.

"Well, gotta go to work, babe."

"Just be careful." she answered.

Duo gave his usual grin and then raised his crystal. It opened up and the energy shot out of it and engulfed him as he cried...

"Tek-Setta!!!"

The blinding light shot out into the sky and out of the colony. As it flew, the light began to fade away to reveal the dark armored tekkaman. Flying through space, the gundam armor unfolded further to reveal a set of dark, wing-like protrusions, completing the metamorphosis.

"Tekkaman Hellscythe!"

Hellscythe wasted no time in charging into the invading Radham. A blade of energy formed in his hand and turned into his double-bladed scythe. With a cry, Hellscythe swung his weapon forward and sliced into a Radham monster. The creature shrieked before it was rendered in two and Hellscythe moved to his next victim and destroyed it in the same fashion. Two more approached him from the back, but he was more than ready for them as his shoulders fired thin laser beams that injured the creatures and halted their attack. Bending a little, Hellscythe suddenly tossed his lancer at them. The scythe spun in a circular blade and it ripped through the Radham. It continued to spin and it began to course its way back to its master. Hellscythe simply put his hand out and the scythe returned neatly into his armored hand. Without wasting a second, Hellscythe swiftly spun around and sliced a Radham that was closing in on his back. The pieces flew past him and later exploded. Hellscythe looked to see the Radham was begin move away and was ready to chase them when…

_Twannggg__!!!_

Hellscythe suddenly found himself dodging a small beam of light. It flew from out of nowhere and had hit him on one of his wings. Turning to the direction, Hellscythe saw a figure standing on top of one to the platforms of the colony. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be…a tekkaman.

"Ah, hey. I don't think I remember meeting you."

The tekkaman strode out so that Hellscythe could get a better look at him. This one lean in figure and had dark grey and blue armor. The shoulder armors were forked upward and in its hands was a long staff lancer, with a straight blade on one of the ends. A single red eye glowed menacingly at Hellscythe.

"No. And I can assure you; this will be our only meeting."

"I don't suppose you'd like to introduce yourself." Hellscythe retorted. "I'm..."

But the mysterious tekkaman cut him off, "I well know about you, gundam tekkaman, is it? I am Tekkaman Sliver." 

Sliver bent down slightly to the floor, "Now that the introductions are out of the way..."

Sliver suddenly shot upward right at Hellscythe. Hellscythe got himself ready, but this new tekkaman was fast and he blew right past him. But not without leaving a parting gift as his blade racked across Hellscythe's chest armor. Hellscythe growled and Sliver turned around and charged again.

"Alright then. Bring it on."

****************

_Space Knight Command Center, Outside_

A single stone skidded across the water before disappearing underneath the blue. From the opposite end of the stone's flight, Dead sat by the bay. His usual careless face was gone, replaced by one of deep thought and sadness. He just couldn't understand it. His sister was alive, but she was trying to kill the Space Knights. But that shouldn't have bothered him too much. Some time ago, he had tried to kill the Space Knights. Driven by an insane rage that was forged from sorrow, he had even managed to best their greatest warrior, Tekkaman Blade, twice. But he wasn't thinking straight at the time. He was just too sad over the loss of his colony and his sister in particular. He still remembered the time he spent with her…

_"Sis.__ What is this?"_

_"A crystal, young one."___

_"Crystal?"_

_"That's right. Your crystal. See. Just like mine. If you protect it, it will protect you."_

_"You will protect me too?"_

_"Sure. Always."_

Dead picked up another stone. _Why was his sister attacking them now?_ It couldn't be because of him. She had already known he was alive. _So why fight at all? Where had she been all this time up until now? And why the Space Knights?_

The only answer was the sound of the stone flickering across the water…

************

_Space..._

_Shraaaacckkkkk__!!!!! Shraaaacckkkkk!!!!!_

The space over the colony flashed as Hellscythe and Sliver clashed relentlessly against each other. Despite Duo's best efforts, this new tekkaman was proving to be quite a tough character to fight. Sliver was just as fast as he was and seemed to be more agile. They violently rushed into each other and held each other in a powerful grapple of weapons. They continued to push and wound up spinning through space wildly. Eventually, both parties separated and dove downward at the colony. Flipping around, they landed on their feet and faced each other.

"You are fast, I'll give you that." Sliver commented. "But you are only prolonging your own demise."

Hellscythe merely held his lancer tighter, "And here I thought you know who I was."

Hellscythe suddenly charged, green eyes blazing, and slashed his lancer out. But Sliver leaped up and Hellscythe missed him totally. Hellscythe flew up after him and brought his lancer-scythe back, reading to swing. But Sliver suddenly held his lancer leveled and a blade of energy formed on it. Sliver fired it and Hellscythe was slashed heavily on the shoulder. Groaning, Hellscythe grasped his shoulder in pain. Brushing it away, Hellscythe was suddenly faced with a single blur just before it slammed against him and caused him to fly away. Sliver laughed as his spun the lancer around and slammed it down on Hellscythe again, bashing across his head. Hellscythe soared back and Sliver raised his lancer for a third strike. But Hellscythe managed to recover and raised his lancer-scythe to block the blow. Again the two grappled and began to spin around. But before they could, Sliver released his right hand and grabbed hold of Hellscythe's face. Hellscythe screamed as the tekkaman began to apply pressure, crushing it in.

"You're finished."

Hellscythe struggled, but was unable to move away. His hands were trapped beneath the lock of the two lancers and he couldn't fly away because Sliver was currently pushing him. And his head diadem crystal began to flash wildly in response to the danger. Nevertheless, he managed to crackle out.

"You...still....don't know...I.....am....Death...one way....or another..."

Sliver was about to retort when Hellscythe began to flash brightly with energy. _'What? He's going to self-destruct?'_ Sliver quickly released Hellscythe and backed away, giving him time to recover. Sliver then summoned another energy blade and locked on to Hellscythe. Rearing back, he flung the blade and it flew at Hellscythe with deadly speed. But Hellscythe had raised his left arm and the Voltekka cells blazed to life.

"Voltekka!!!!"

A dark beam flashed out and smashed into the energy blade, causing it to evaporate into nothing. The beam continued right toward Sliver and he held up his arm in defense.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The beam engulfed him and Sliver was blown away into space. Seeing the threat gone, Hellscythe lowered his lancer and the wings closed around him like a cloak. But inside, Duo was breathing heavily. He was almost killed and was forced to nearly self-destruct just to get the advantage. He wished he could say that Sliver was no more, but judging from the fight with him, he knew that the evil tekkaman still lived. _But why did he come after him in the first place?_ He obviously wanted him. That was why he led the Radham against the col... Suddenly, it hit Duo. _He was leading the Radham?_ But he didn't seem like a Radham tekkaman. He was far too strong to be one. He was definitely human. But the question was who was he?

----------------------------

_In outer space, Romefeller continues its own oppression on one of the colonies, Colony L5, Wufei's home colony. But as Wufei is ready to fight, the colony is destroyed, leaving Wufei with nothing left but to fight. On Earth, the tekkaman team enters the first stage up their upgrades into complete tekkamen. Meanwhile, Duo and Hilde go to a nearby circus act and is met up with an old friend thought dead. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: The return of Wufei._


	43. The Return of Wufei

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Chap. 43

_L5 colony_

One of the more distant of the colonies, L5 is a colony that had been ravaged from the Radham war and which scars are still evident upon it. Within this colony, Wufei was currently stationed within the center of a small field behind an old, but prominent Chinese building. Dressed in white, he waited as his opponent shifted toward him and suddenly struck out with a swift punch. Wufei dodged to the side and the man quickly lifted his arm and shot his leg in a kick. Wufei spun around and lashed his leg out in a sweep, tripping his opponent. The man flipped off the floor, but Wufei was instantly upon him and struck forward with a palm, flooring the man again, but giving him no room to get up.

"Enough."

Wufei backed away as the man lifted himself up painfully and bowed. Wufei returned the gesture and then moved to the person who called the stop. It was an old man, wearing purple Chinese garments and hat. The two walked side by side silently for a while.

"I am grateful to you for letting me stay here, Master Lon." Wufei started.

"You have done well in your journey." the elder man returned. 'Your sword has served you well."

Wufei looked at his sword, which was currently sheathed to his side. "Yes. But I do not feel worthy of it."

"Strength is the soul." Lon spoke. "The soul is the battle against yourself. If you do not win against yourself, you will never defeat your enemy. We have fought against the evil in space for over 100 years, whether it comes in the form of Earth or Radham." 

The elder's eyes then roved across the colony, "But the colony which protected us all these years does not have the strength to sustain life any longer, and is luring us to the path of ruin. Even so, we will pursue justice to the end." Turning his head, "Do you understand, Wufei?"

"Justice..." the young man whispered.

"True justice. To believe in one self, never lie to one self, never betray one self."

Suddenly, one of the men exited the building, "Master Lon! Sol-Tekka Dolls are approaching the colony in attack formation."

"What?" the elder exclaimed. "They have no respect, even for the dying."

"I will defeat the enemy." Wufei declared. "I will defeat evil itself."

Master Lon turned to him and saw the conviction in his eyes. Nodding in approval, "Then you have nothing to doubt. You will be the one to decide what is just. That is our will and thus, the will of your blade."

Wufei bowed to his master and then unsheathed his blade. The crystal embedded in it flashed opened and it glowed in brilliant light.

"Tek-Setta!!!!!"

************

_Space Knight Command Center_

David strolled around the headquarters in search of Dead. He had just a few minutes before the procedure and he had just enough time to check up on him. Walking outside, he soon happened upon the knight in question, sitting on the edge of a pier.

"Hey Dead. How are you?"

"What do you think?" Dead answered coldly.

"Right. Stupid question."

David stood by him and bent down to pick up one of the stones. Silently, he tossed the stone in the water and watched it skip away and eventually sink. He didn't know what to say to Dead, but in cases like this, there was nothing to say. He couldn't imagine what Dead was going through right now, so there was no point in trying. Still, he wished he could help. Just then, David's communicator beeped, signaling him to come to the lab.

"You should get going." Dead whispered.

David nodded and silently walked back inside.

***************

_Colony L2..._

"You've never seen him before?"

"Nope, ah!" 

After Duo returned to the colony, he related to Hilde about his deadly encounter with Tekkaman Sliver. Currently, she was massaging his shoulders which were sore from the fighting.

"Sorry." she apologized.

Duo relaxed a bit and continued, "And he wasn't a gundam either."

"Do you know why he came after you?"

He shrugged lightly, "Maybe he was having a bad day or something."

Hilde lifted her hands from off his shoulders and moved beside him, "Hey Duo, let's go someplace that's really fun."

"Somewhere...fun?" he questioned.

"Yeah, come on." She quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bench. Duo winced as he was yanked up, but Hilde paid no attention and continued to drag him.

"Come on, let's go!"

*****************

_Colony orbit_

As was stated inside, a horde of Sol-Tekka carriers, each carrying dozens of soulless machines approached and surrounded the colony. But they made no actual attack yet. It was as if they were waiting for something.

"The gundam has been sighted in the northern axis point."

The commander responded, "Roger. All units, commence the attack!"

The Dolls suddenly awakened from their slumber and locked on to the tekkaman, who was flying straight the space and charging at the horde.

"Guide my hand, Nataku!"

Altron's hand arose, showing his now double-sided trident lancer. With another burst of speed, he charged into and past the first doll. A second later, the doll exploded into bits. The dolls turned to attack and the battle began. Altron weaved through the energy fire and sliced through doll after doll, sometimes slicing five at once. Occasionally, Altron would twist around and use the back protrusion to fire energy beams to destroy them from afar. But mostly, it was Nataku who brought them down. Despite the active disruptors and the sheer number of the dolls, Altron was faring well. His power and speed were amplified by his own martial art skills and instincts. He managed to bring down half the dolls when the commander announced to him.

"Gundam tekkaman. We are prepared for an all-out assault on the colony. If you do not surrender immediately, the colony will be destroyed."

Altron suddenly halted in his attack and looked back at the colony. The close orbit of the colony was now surrounded by a large number of dolls. Altron growled. Even if he could reach them, he would never be fast enough to destroy them. Not before they caused serious damage to the colony structure. Inside, the inhabitants of the colony was aware of what as happening. As well as what was to happen.

"Is it ready?"  
  


The young man nodded, "Yes master."

The old man stepped on the edge of the balcony and whispered to himself, "Farewell Wufei. Never forget the pride of our people. Our will lies with you now." Turning to the man...

"Do it."

Altron suddenly felt his master's decree in his mind and stared at the colony, "Master Lon, what...?"

_"Fight Wufei and do not hesitate."_ Long answered telepathically. _"Fight for justice."_

Suddenly, the colony erupted in various areas, all in sequence. The explosions circled the colony and the structure, along with the dolls closest to it were destroyed. Altron watched in horror as his home was destroyed right before his eyes.

"GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

His anguished cry echoed out into the depths of space and he clenched hard his lancer. His eyes flashed red and he looked at the remaining Sol-Tekkas and dolls. Without using his colony as a shield, he was free to finish this battle. With another cry, he charged at the machines and mercilessly ripped them to bits. The carriers, now seeing the wrath of the tekkaman tried to escape, but it was futile and Altron gave them the same fate as their lifeless machines. When the last carrier was destroyed, Wufei stared out into the blackness of space.

"Justice..." he whispered to himself. Looking at his lancer once again, he cried aloud to the stars.

"Nataku. Show me what true justice is!"

*****************

_Colony L2_

It turns out that the place Hilde mentioned was a circus act that had just recently come into the colony on tour. Hilde had wanted to go ever since it had come and now she dragged Duo along for the ride. But Duo didn't mind (even though he complained about his sore muscles the entire way). In fact, he was currently enjoying himself a little too much.

"YAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Hilde shirked in slight embarrassment as he had jumped up and cheered, almost spilling the popcorn.

"Well, it's nice to see you're enjoying yourself."

Duo sat back down, a bit embarrassed himself, "Yeah." 

His eyes gazed over the three circles and onto the high-wire act. The crowd was also watching in amazement as a clown balanced himself on the wire and walked across to the center without effort.

_'Huh? That clown...Well, well, well.'_

Suddenly, the clown bent his knees and shot up into the air, spinning in a triple somersault cartwheel. The crowd gasped as he descended and missed the wire. However, the clown swiftly grabbed the wire and rebounded back into the air, spinning yet again before landing on the wire, again with zero difficulty. The crowd cheered wildly as the clown walked off the wire and bowed his head.

"Wow." Hilde exclaimed while clapping. "That clown was really amazing."

A knowing grin crossed Duo's features, "You can say that again."

*******************

_Space..._

A troop of Sol-Tekka carriers on route toward the now destroyed L5 colony spotted an object coming right at them. As it neared, they instantly recognized it as a crystal hawk.

"Prepare to launch the...ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Too late as the crystal hawk slammed into the first carrier, destroying it instantly. The two remaining carrier watched it explode and the tekkaman materialize into form.

"You do not belong!"

With a roar, Altron charged at the next one and slashed with through it. It exploded and the gundam's crimson eyes locked on to its final target. The hatch of the carrier opened, about to release its Dolls. But Altron summoned forth his right dragon arm voltekka and unleashed the blast, destroying both the Dolls and the carrier. Altron simply watched the carrier exploded.

"I will destroy all who fight in space!"

His crystal hawk flared to life and Altron flew into space once again.

***************

_Laboratory..._

Yuim, Natasha, and David had all come into the lab to prepare for the operation. Aki and Millia were stationed above them in the monitor booth in order to oversee their progress.

"Energy connections complete. Servos at 100%. We're ready, Chief."

Aki called into the intercom, "Go."

The three knights raised their crystals, "Tek-Setta!!!"

They all flared with the energy of their transformations and shot into the chambers stationed before them, fully transformed.

"Start the procedure."

The chambers began to bubble and glow, filtering around their armored bodies. In time, the armors themselves started to glow and shimmer in light. The knights struggled inside, but gave no indication that they were in any danger. Aki folded her arms across her chest.

_'And now we wait.'_

Millia turned her head slightly toward Aki. She didn't have to look at her friend's face to see that she was worried about the youths. Aki carried for them as if they were her own children and Millia knew that.

The soul of outer space told her so...

*******************

_Circus_

A little while after the acts were over in the circus, Duo snuck around in the back to find Trowa. As he trucked through the various equipment and animal cage, he happened upon him near the lion cages, feeding them.

"Hey Trowa." he waved as he stepped forward. "Nice act out there. You were great."

Trowa turned his head from the cage and looked at Duo with slight puzzlement. "Do I know you?"

"Huh?" Duo blinked in surprise. "I know you're a little weird Trowa, but what kind of question is that?"

The young man stood before him with uncertainty in his eyes.

"I'm afraid I don't remember you."

-----------------------

_Duo discovers that Trowa has lost him memory and is promptly chased away by Katherine, his 'sister.' Quatre left the Sank to lead the Maganac once again in order to protect the Sank, but Romefeller begins its initial attacks on both the Sank Kingdom and the Space Knights. With the tekkamen currently in hold due to the upgrades, the Space Knights are nearly defenseless. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Cracked Shield_


	44. Cracked Shield

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Chap. 44

_Circus, L2 colony_

"You don't remember me? It's me, Duo."

Duo had confronted Trowa in the circus, only to discover that his former comrade has no memory of him whatsoever. _'Even a guy with a face as extraordinary as mine' _he mused to himself.

"I don't believe we've met before." Trowa repeated.

Duo was about to speak some more when a young woman exited out from the tent. She took a quick glance at Duo before moving over to Trowa.

"Trowa. The ringmaster is calling you. Go on inside."

Towa nodded, "Okay sis."

As Trowa strode back inside, Duo looked at her dumbfounded, "Sis? You're his sister? What...?"

Katherine suddenly whirled on him, her friendly disposition now gone, "Go away and leave him alone. He doesn't need to fight anymore."

Duo blinked with even more confusion. "Hey, I..."

"...don't care." she sharply cut him off. "Leave Trowa alone. Let him live in peace instead of war."

Katherine then turned around and reentered the tent, leaving a still confused Duo behind. _What's going on? He has a sister? Why doesn't he remember me?_

*************

_Sank Kingdom..._

The streets are completely empty and void of any human activity aside from one or two people who were running to the shelters. Within the palace, Heero and Noin were strategizing the increasing Romefeller activity that was occurring around the kingdom.

"Romefeller has all these points covered." Noin mentioned as they observed a map of the area. "They want to make sure no one escapes."

Heero stood nearby with his arms folded in usual pose. "Those are the least of our problems. The attack force itself is unknown to us. We don't know how many they will send in the attack."

Noin shut her eyes, "It's a good thing Quatre left before they surrounded us."

Heero chose not to comment on that. He simply moved away and looked at the pilots suiting up in the Taurus Sol Tekkas. He summoned his own crystal, which was still embedded in the Epyon crystal.

"We better get ready."

***********

_Space Knight Command Center..._

The crew was still around the tekkapod chambers, waiting for the three Knights to finish the process. Because they had only ten percent more to finish, it would be a shorter time than before when they were primary bodies. But even so, the room was tense, especially considering that Romefeller forces that had surrounded them and the increasing forces that were beginning to descend from the sky.

"Chief." One to the technicians called. "Virgo Dolls are closing in on the base."

Aki gasped, "What? It's too soon." She turned to the technician monitoring the knights. "How long until completion?"

"Another forty-five minutes."

Honda frowned, "That's not enough time. By then, they will have cut off the power circuits and the process would be interrupted."

Millia stepped up and looked at the chambers, "We need time."

Aki clenched her fist briefly and then turned to the exit. "I'll try to buy you some time. Make sure that they get through this."

The group watched as she walked out and the doors closed. She walked down the corridor quickly and then broke into an all-out run toward the hanger. Entering the hanger, she pressed a console on the wall and it opened to reveal the teknobot, Pegasus 2.

"Pegasus! Tek-setta!!!!!"

The crystal on the machine flashed and so did the eyes. "Command acknowledged."

The machine opened and beams of light shone on Aki. As she strode into the machine, her clothing began to shred and tear apart. She entered the teknobot and it sealed her up inside. A skylight entrance opened from above and the machine ignited its boosters and took off. While it flew off into the sky, the head chamber unlocked and Aki shot out and flipped on top, now in her scarlet tekkaman form.

"Let's go, Pegasus."

*****************

_Earth orbit..._

Thanks to the Lunar Base, there were hordes of carriers approaching; each containing vast numbers of Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls. The ships closed in on Earth, ready to descend and attack whoever they were programmed to. Already, many of them were falling on one particular area and they continued to fall, appearing to spread out. But a sudden explosion halted their descent.

"Not on my watch."

A white Sol-Tekka swooped from out of the darkness of space and fired upon the carriers, destroying them one by one. It was none other than the Tallgeese, with its masked pilot at the controls. Tallgeese swerved through the ship and stopped before them and in front of the earth. Raising his quantum cannon, Tallgeese fired some more, blasting them into debris. When he destroyed his fifth one, a few of the carriers stopped and unlatched the Dolls. The soulless machines eyes shimmered as they moved in to attack. Tallgeese unsheathed its metal blade and charged madly at the dolls.

"I will not allow the Sank to be destroyed again!"

*******************

_Sahara Desert, outer rim..._

Within the dust of the deserts sands, The Magnanacs were engaged in a fierce battle with the Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls. Though the number of dolls was relatively few, it was more than enough to hold back the desert warriors.

"Rashid." one of the primary bodies shouted. "The enemy is closing in on our position."

Rashid, in his own dusty armor, shouted back, "It doesn't matter. We'll continue fighting until Master Quatre's return."

The primary bodies resumed their battle with renewed vigor, but still the dolls hammered them back, backing them into the deserted ruins.

_Shrannnggggg__!!!!!!!!!_

Suddenly two Virgos fell into pieces and exploded. The Magnanacs saw that and looked through the dust to see a white armored figure stride out of the dust.

"Master Quatre!"

Indeed it was Tekkaman Sandrock, holding his two curved-blade lancers.

"Rashid! Are you all right?"

The Magnanac commander stepped out to greet him, "Yes Master. We've been waiting for your arrival."

Sandrock lowered his head, "I'm sorry for being away so long. But now there's another battle awaiting us. We must go to the Sank Kingdom."

The warriors cheered and charged back into battle behind him. With Sandrock's strength, the Virgos were all dispatched easily. But that is only the beginning of their fight. The Magnanacs marched across the desert to the Sank Kingdom, with their desert prince tekkaman leading them.

***************

_Sank..._

The Virgo Dolls have finally decided to move, stalking toward the white kingdom with hostile intent. Noin flew out in her own white Taurus Sol-Tekka in front of the invaders.

"This is Sank Kingdom territory." she spoke through an open communicator. "Please leave immediately." When the machines failed to stop, she sighed to herself. _'Well, it was worth a try.' _Changing the communicator frequency. "All units, defensive positions. But do not fire unless provoked."

The forest shimmered in a few spots, indicating the presence of the other Taurus hidden in the forest behind. One of the Taurus raised is weapon and fired. This was soon followed by shots from the others. Noin took to the air and the Taurus army came out of hiding and fired back. The battle became intense very quickly. In front of one of the Taurus groups, Tekkaman Wing Epyon swooped in front and into the bulk of the enemy forces. Mentally, Heero was fighting a battle with himself against the powerful crystal's powers..

_'Focus...on main targets...Keep...Epyon...focused.'_

The lancer arose and Wing scored his first kill in what would soon be a path of sheer destruction...

******************

_Command Center..._

The dolls continued to tread down on their course toward the command center. The few laser cannon defenses of the command center were mostly destroyed and the machines continued on. One of the dolls had targeted another cannon when a object suddenly soared overhead. Looking up, the machine saw a crimson figure descend upon it and rendered it in two. The Scarlet Tekkaman leaped away from the machine a moment before it exploded. She shot forward and stabbed another one through. Her boosters ignited and she pushed the still impaled doll into the others, running them down. She then pulled the lancer out and tossed it behind her. The lancer spun in the air and cut through a good amount of the dolls, destroying them instantly before it returned to her hand in a boomerang effect. Aki then turned to see the dolls begin to activate their shoulder disruptor crystals.

"Pegasus!"

The flying robot turned through the air and came back to its master. Aki pulled her arm back, cutting another doll in half while latching her energy wire onto Pegasus and being pulled away. Aki reeled herself in and climbed back on top of Pegasus. The dolls locked onto her while she was flying through the air and open fire, filling the sky with energy beams. Aki swerved through them left and right, but was having trouble due to the intensity rate of the beams. Plus, the disruptors were beginning to affect her greatly because of the number of the dolls. Nevertheless, she maneuvered Pegasus to fly low and see stuck her lancer out. Hitting a button, the lancer extended further and at she swooped by, the extended blade ripped and sliced into many the machines. But a few managed to get a few good shots out, nearly hitting her and damaging Pegasus slightly. Aki jumped off and slid on the ground, her lancer continuing to slice through the machine as she did. Now on the ground, Aki ran across the ground and back-slashed the next doll, following up with a twirling spin which ripped into three more. Aki looked around. So far, she was doing a good job clearing out the dolls. That was until she looked up and saw a horde of them rain down from the sky like dark hail. Her grip tightened, _'I'll never be able to take them all.'_

The machines continued to fall down toward her until a flash of light caught her attention. A moment after that, a streak of purple light flashed into the sky and wiped out a good portion of the descending force. Aki looked in short surprise as she realized who had helped her.

"Dead End."

Dead materialized in the air and turned to her. "They'll need all the time they can get."

Aki nodded and continued the fight.

-----------

_Romefeller__ attacks. With both the Space Knights and the Sank Kingdom fighting to protect themselves, the battle turns harsh within moments. Aki and Dead continue to try to buy time, but their collective powers begin run short. Relena continue to try to stop the battles and decides on one final course of action. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Fall of the Sank Kingdom._


	45. Fall of the Sank Kingdom

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Chap. 45

As the tekka-completion process continued, those within the Space Knight command center were moving around frantically in order to assist the two knights in the battle outside. But their efforts were minimal compared to the awesome force of Virgo Dolls they came down on them. In the laboratory within, the three tekkamen were still in their chambers, waiting for their tekkaforms to reach 100%

"How much longer?" Honda asked impatiently, which was an unusual behavior for him.

"Another three minutes, sir."

Honda frowned as he looked at the monitor displaying the battle outside.

"They may not last three minutes." he muttered to himself.

As he said those words, Aki and Tekkaman Dead where locked in an intense battle with the Virgo Dolls. With Dead's assistance, Aki was able to drive the machines away for a brief time. But as the numbers grew and the Dolls continued to descend, even Dead's great power began to wane from the massive strain of the disruptor crystals. And with Aki at half strength, the two were being forced back toward the command center.

_'We're not doing too well.'_ Dead thought as he dodged an energy beam coming at him. Sighting the source, he raised his wrist and fired a couple of bolts at the doll, ripping it up and destroying it. Dead then engaged his crystal hawk mode and flew into the squadron of doll in the sky with him. However, due to the energy decrease, his power was only enough to destroy a few dozen of them before he had to stop. But they continued to drop from the sky like a plague of locusts.

On the ground below, Aki was fighting the dolls close range in order to conserve her energy. Relying solely on her melee and martial arts skills, the Scarlet Tekkaman sliced and diced through the Dolls one-by-one. But she was only destroying the front line machines. If she went too deep into the armada or if they managed to surround her, she wouldn't have the power to escape. Her armor was already damaged plenty and the red garb that covered the armor was torn up. They would finish her off quickly. But her current strategy was only slowing them down and not by much. They were still advancing and firing wildly at them. One of the beams hit her lancer just before she could strike and it flew away back. Aki went to reach for it, but the area was soon covered with beams. Aki jumped back and lashed out her energy wire. It hooked on to the lancer and she flicked her wrist. The lancer shot out of the ground and spun though the air, slicing three Virgos in half. But the momentum wasn't enough and upon contact with the fourth Virgo, it got stuck in the dolls chest. Aki landed back and tried to find a way to reach it, but the lancer was already to deeply entrench in the enemy forces. And the numbers were just too much for her to even attempt to reach it, much less come back out alive. In a nutshell, she was in trouble.

_'We just need a little more time.'_

********

_Sank Kingdom…_

The white peace of the Sank Kingdom was now slowly being ravaged by the very same destructive force occurring at the Space Knight Command Center. With a greater number of forces attacking them, the defenders of the kingdom where being pushed back as well.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!"

One of the white Taurus exploded beside Noin and she slid away from the explosion. Noin sighed bitterly. That wasn't the first soldier that was killed by these lifeless machines and judging by the continued assault, it wouldn't be the last. She had never seen anything like it. The enemy forces were coming in sheer numbers, threatening to overwhelm everything. It seemed like an impossible battle. But Noin knew impossible battles before. And there was no way she was going to abandon the Sank Kingdom.

_'Come on!' _she roared mentally as her Sol-Tekka flew into action. Meanwhile, Wing Tekkaman was doing the greatest share of damage to the enemy forces. Thanks to the influence of the Epyon crystal, he plowed straight through the Dolls without being touched. But the crystal had long taken over Heero's mind as the altered tekkaman was fighting in a berserker style and with an uncontrollable rage; driven by one thought.

_Destruction..._

***********

Relena stood before the massive window in her quarters, watching the battle that was unfolding before her kingdom and drawing ever closer. This was exactly what she had feared of seeing. The kingdom now locked in an unavoidable war.

"Seems like the Sank kingdom and its peaceful ways have been dragged into this war."

Relena blinked and turned to the voice that came from behind her. Standing right there was none other than Dorothy Catalonia.

"Why are you still here, Dorothy? You should evacuate with the other students."

Dorothy smirked, "I couldn't possibly leave without seeing how this all turns out."

Relena sighed to herself and looked back out the window. Dorothy took a step toward her and stood slightly beside her, looking out the window as well. Unlike Relena, whose face was etched in sorry and deep thought, Dorothy continued to smile as she watched the battle take place.

"What are you going to do now, Miss Relena?" she asked. "Are you going to continue fighting? Or perhaps you're going to ask the other nations for help?"

Relena frowned lightly, knowing the implications of either choice would only result in more battle and death.

"It's not possible for the Sank Kingdom to make such a choice."

Dorothy turned to her, "What other choice do you have? If the Sank is destroyed, then your dream of peace will stay just that. A dream."

Relena turned to face her, "That won't happen. Peace is the dream and wish of all people."

Dorothy shrugged and looked out the window.

"Look at them. Isn't it wonderful that they are all fighting for their lives for peace?"

Relena didn't answer.

**********

_Earth orbit…_

**Kaboommmm****!!!!**

In orbit of space just above the Sank, Zechs continues his own battle with the descending Virgos. A few squads had stayed behind to deal with him and reinforcements were arriving just behind him as well. To make matters worse, Tallgeese was in bad shape. Parts of its armor were damaged severely and the quantum cannon had been totaled, leaving him to fight with only the saber. The energy cells were mostly drained as well, leaving the machine to fight at 35% power. Zechs himself wasn't without injury as various bruises were on his body. Yet despite this and the odds against him, Zechs managed and continued to fight on.

_'I will not let history be repeated!'_

Tallgeese's venier boosters opened and the battered white machine flew into the horde. The Virgos fired relentlessly on the machine, but Tallgeese took the damage face on. It blasted through the dolls and a moment later, they all exploded right after sliding apart from the saber slashes. Tallgeese soared through the dark sky and rotated back for another pass, but some of the dolls had followed him through and attacked him much closer than he anticipated. Tallgeese raised its sword to block, but it was minimal and the energy beams pelted him thoroughly. The saber showed a few signs of wear as the beams continued on him and ultimately, it shattered. Zechs growled aloud as he tossed away the broken saber.

"I will not be stopped!!!!"

Without thinking, Zechs put the Tallgeese into full burn and charged at the dolls. He had no weapons to speak of, but he didn't care. He would use the machine's hands if he had to in order to destroy the dolls. Heck, he would fight out in the vacuum of space alone if need be.

_He did..._

The crystal on his chest shimmered to life and glowed brightly, flooding the inside of Tallgeese, causing light to spike out from within. The light grew in intensity and the Tallgeese suddenly exploded. The white machine sent debris in all direction and the dolls halted their attack. But they were soon in for a surprise as another flash emerged from within the explosion.

_A crystal hawk.__ A huge crystal hawk..._

The dolls were completely incinerated at the huge energy wave soared past them like a diving falcon. The crystal hawk continued its flight through the attackers, vaporizing them all as it swooped past. The energy finally began to die down, revealing the form of a primary body tekkaman. However, it was unlike any primary body ever seen. In addition to the usual dull-looking armor, there were a few extra armored pieces that jutted out from it like crystals. On his back were sleek protrusions, much like the ones that were on the back of Wing Tekkaman. Also, his wrist armor was equipped with its own set of voltekka cells. Cells that he raised upward and pointed another group of dolls. The energy charged quickly and a massive wave of energy blasted out and annihilated them. However, Zechs was far from in control. His mind was flooded with various images and information. In an attempt to make sense out of it and with the approach of a new set of dolls, he could only focus on one thing.

_Destruction..._

********

_Space Knight____Command____Center__, battlefield_

"Yahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!"

A fist into the faceplate of the Virgo was crushed as Aki sent her fist into it and jumped away. Despite what she thought earlier, she decided to try to reach for her lancer. The dolls had begun to surround her so it didn't matter to her either way, so long as she could buy some time. _'How much longer will it take?'_ she thought as she landed a kick on another doll and jumped away. Her lancer was now in reach and she lashed out her wire to snag it, but one of the dolls got in the way and it was deflected away. Aki blinked with surprise as two more dolls came beside it and fired on her. She dodged the first beam, but the second one hit her on the right arm. Aki cried as she fell down to the floor. She struggled to rise, but only managed halfway and wound up on one knee. The dolls closed in on her and made ready to fire when several red energy blades shot out from the sky and tore through them, destroying them. Aki used the time to recover her lancer and used it to push herself to her feet while Dead dove out from the sky before her. His armor was equally as damaged as hers, but that didn't stop him from summoning the voltekka cells in his lancer. Dark lightning charged around and emerald hair whipped around in the maelstrom as Dead cried.

"VOLTEKKAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The dark wave of energy emerged and decimated the oncoming dolls. Aki was a bit surprised by the rescue, but she didn't complain. Dead's beam soon dispersed and he knelt down to the ground himself, his energy completely drained from the attack. But the dolls continued to come at them.

"Chief, come in."

Aki blinked. It was Honda on the communication line.

"Mission accomplished. They're finished."

Aki sighed in relief, "Understood. Returning now."

Aki stumbled toward Dead and helped him to his feet. Slinging his arm around her shoulder, she looked up at the rapidly approaching Virgo dolls.

_'You get this round.'_ Out loud, "Pegasus!"

On command, the teknobot soared over and down low to the ground. Aki hopped up, still holding Dead as Pegasus swooped under them. Aki landed on the machine's top and flew away back to the command center.

**********

Sank Kingdom

The battle raged. The Virgo dolls had now crossed the country and were now beginning to march toward the populated areas. They showed no signs of stopping as the fired continuously upon the white Tauruses. Noin was forced to move her group back against the buildings and trees to use for cover. But it wouldn't last long.

_'They are relentless. They won't stop until everything's destroyed.'_

_Shrrrrrriiiiiiiinnnnngggggggggg__!!!!!_

Noin caught the sound that was soon followed by an explosion of dolls. Noin looked out from her place to see…

"Quatre!"

Indeed it was Quatre, or rather Tekkaman Sandrock.

"I'm glad I made it in time."

Sandrock rushed through from the left and brought his massive blade lancers down upon the dolls. As he charged to the next target, beams of energy flew from behind him. But he wasn't deterred, for the target of the beams were the dolls as well. Charging in behind Sandrock, the Magnagac fired from behind their master, covering him with rounds from their beam rifles. The group soon joined with Noin's remaining forces and the battle shifted slightly, with the Sank Kingdom's defenders pushing a bit more into the offensive. But even this lasted briefly and soon the overwhelming forces of Romefeller took back the tide of battle.

"Damn." Quatre growled softly as he slashed through another doll. "It's still not enough."

********

"I don't have time to discuss your liking of war, Dorothy."

Dorothy continued to grin, wondering if she had in fact gotten to the young ruler, "Now that's not fair, Miss Relena."

"Not fair?" Relena questioned.

"You use such sweet words like peace and pacifism to lure everyone. But when it comes down to it, you don't do anything."

Relena's hand clenched into a fist and tightened, "It's not that I don't do anything."

"That's right." Dorothy spat. "You can't do anything. Total pacifism wouldn't have become a reality to begin with."

Dorothy turned to the opposite side of Relena, while Relena watched.

"What do you mean?"

Dorothy folded her arms behind her back and looked up, "Human are nothing more than animals that fight. Whoever it is that gains the victory, becomes the leader. That is just how nature is."

Relena continued to gaze at Dorothy's back, "That will not bring about peace. That is pure domination."

Dorothy shrugged, "Perhaps. But it's far more of a reality." Turning to Relena, "Tell me. What can total peace do in a world full of war?"

Relena's eyes narrowed, but a sudden explosion caught her attention and she looked back out of the window. Several energy blasts had hit some of the capital buildings and the palace. The battle had escalated from bad to worse as the dolls had moved beyond the Sank's borders and into the town itself. The remaining defenders were in a grueling battle and it was beginning to take its toll.

"This is it." Noin murmured as she piloted her Taurus into the air. The Sol-Tekka was fairly damaged and its power had been drained low. She landed it on the ground and fired a few shots, but they were answered by several more beams from the dolls.

"Miss Noin!"

Sandrock came to her rescue by chopping down the dolls, but it was only a few and he was soon besieged by energy beams. He raised his blades to block the attacks, but the beams wore on his armor nevertheless. The dolls continued to fire and more beams hit the palace directly.

"Miss Relena!" Noin shouted in horror.

However, Relena was perfectly fine and was moving out of the palace into one of the shelters her students were in. They were all huddled up in their own group with their friends, fearful of the battle outside. Dorothy followed behind her as well.

"What use is peace now? There is nothing it can do to help here. You've become Romefeller's prey." Dorothy then quickly whipped around Relena to look at her face-to-face.

"Now is the time to fight, Miss Relena."

Relena looked down sorrowfully, "Yes Dorothy. Humans fight. But that doesn't mean its the right thing." Her eyes rose and locked, "I believe that people can choose a path of peace without fighting."

Dorothy stretched her arms out in a mocking display, "You're so wonderful when you preach your ideals! Just one word from you and those soldiers who are discontent with OZ will come right to the rescue. Who knows? Maybe even the Space Knights will come as well."

Relena gazed at Dorothy thoroughly before she looked out the window. The streets and buildings of her once beautiful kingdom were now in flames. Burnt craters were scattered over the grounds as well and trees and cars were either smashed or burning. _'I guess…that is the only way.'_ With this silent resolve, she turned to Dorothy.

"If the Sank Kingdom and I are the cause of more war, then I must start a new path to peace."

Dorothy smiled, believing that she had finally reached Relena's heart. "Of course, Miss Relena. You must act first."

Relena shut her eyes and eyes and then reopened them, "I will need to speak with Romefeller."

Meanwhile, back in the battlefield, Tekkaman Wing had also seen the attacks on the capital and palace and for a moment, Heero's mind surfaced.

"Re...Relena..."

But this moment of sanity was brief as the Epyon crystal seemed to feed off his thoughts and Wing began his carnage anew upon the Virgos

**"RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"******

*********

_Space Knight____Command____Center___

In the cockpit bay, Aki had just emerged from Pegasus after it docked. Moving to the side, she grabbed one of the robes and wrapped them around herself before turning to Honda who had just entered the room.

"How are they?"

Honda nodded, "Everything went well. They're tekka-forms are now completed and the new weapon systems have been installed successfully."

Aki nodded and began to walk when she stumbled a bit. Honda moved to catch her, but she had caught her footing on time. She was badly weakened from the battle and it showed by the heavy sweat on her face. Honda began to worry. If they could drain out tekkamen like her and Dead, then the three knights would have similar problems. Probably greater since two of them are equipped with weapons that they don't know how to use. And that in itself was dangerous, just like when Yumi used the Reactor Voltekka for the first time and damaged the Space Ring.

"Aki. Will they be enough?"

Aki took a breath and answered, "They'll have to be." But that didn't silence her own doubts.

*********

_Sank Kingdom_

"Here you go, Miss Relena."

Dorothy had finished inputting the connections to the communication relay and handed the microphone to Relena.

"As you wanted, you're connected to Earth, space and even the Foundation's private lines. But I doubt anyone from Romefeller will come to your aid."

Relena didn't answer her as she took the microphone into her hands. Dorothy then activated the vid-screen and soon, the entire world and space was looking at Relena's face. Taking a deep breath, Relena began.

"I am Relena Peacecraft, the representative of the Sank Kingdom."

From a nearby room, the students and Pagan was watching the broadcast.

_'Miss Relena.'_

"At present, our country is under attack from OZ."

In outer space on the Lunar Base, Col. Tuberoff was watching the same broadcast.

_'Is she trying to get help from the other nations?'_ he thought with disdain. _'What a conceited child.'_

"The Sank Kingdom does not wish to take up arms and fight, but if our country is to become a target and a cause for war, then the kingdom will yield its sovereignty and dissolve."

At the Space Knight Command Center, D-Boy watched the broadcast with interest and walked away as it continued.

"No matter what happens, the Sank Kingdom and its principal will not be the cause for any fighting." Relena closed her eyes, readying for their next words. "I too will surrender to OZ."__

Noin gasped after hearing that over her communicator.

_'Miss Relena...'_

Relena opened her eyes once again and spoke her last words.

"This will be my legacy to peace. So please, stop fighting. There is no longer a reason to fight anymore."

The lines were then cut off, leaving everyone with this stunning revelation. The Sank Kingdom...has surrendered to Romefeller. This particularly caught the attention of the representatives of the Foundation and especially their leading representative, Duke Dermail.

_'That's quite bold of her. Such power...could be of some value to the Foundation,'_

As the communication finished, Dorothy smiled gleeful and took a hold of Relena's hands.

"Wonderful. That was absolutely wonderful, Miss Relena."

Relena obviously didn't share enthusiasm, "You do not have to call me Miss anymore."

But Dorothy went on, "Oh, but I must. Now more than ever."

Relena gave her a quizzical look. Sometimes it was hard trying to decipher the long blond-hair girl. Soon, Dorothy released her hold on Relena and gestured to the door.

"Miss Relena. I'll personally escort you to the Romefeller Foundation."

Silently, Relena moved ahead with Dorothy trailing behind her. As they walked to the limousine (_don't ask how it survived_), Relena's eyes were cast downward, realizing what she had done.

_'I'm sorry everyone. But this is the only path I could take.'_

******

_Space Knight____Command____Center___

"She surrendered?" was Natasha's gasped reply to the news. After the process was completed, they quickly got into their uniforms and were ready to fight when word of the Sank Kingdom's surrender reached their ears. The command center was still under heavy fire, but they seemed to have slowed down a bit.

"That doesn't sound like the Relena I know." Anita mentioned.

"On the contrary, that sounds exactly like the Relena Peacecraft we know."

The group turned to see Aki walk into the hall. Her face looked badly fatigue, but she gave no evidence of any weakness.

"For peace, she gave up her kingdom." she said quietly. "It's an example to follow." 

With that said Aki turned to the nearest communication terminal and asked Honda to patch them in to Romefeller's broadcast. Honda was a little confused, but did as order. Once done, Aki spoke.

"Attention OZ forces. This is Aki Kisaragi, Chief of the Space Knights. In response to the surrender of the Sank Kingdom, this command center will be surrendered to you as well."

It wasn't as grand as Relena's speech, but she had made her point, much to the shock of the other knights.

"Chief, that's crazy!" David shouted. "We're surrendering?!"

"The command center, yes. But not you guys." She turned to face them. "You all will have to leave this place."

"Leave?"

"It's a risk, I know. But it's the best thing we can do right now. A frontal attack now wouldn't do us any good any more. And I believe you can all survive on your own for awhile until you can return." Her glare became hard, "But for now, Romefeller must not control the tekkamen, understand?"

The group looked at her with a stunned silence. It was at that moment that a communication came back from Romefeller.

"Space Knight Command Center. Your surrender is accepted."

"Understood." Aki spoke back before cutting the line. Looking at the knights once again...

"You don't have much time. Go now, all of you. And take care."

The group looked to one another, seeming unsure about everything. Then surprisingly, Yumi folded her arm up in salute, which was followed by Hayato, David and soon the rest. Aki smiled lightly as they accepted the order.

"Yes Chief."

The knights soon turned around and walked off, leaving Aki by herself, or so it seemed.

"Aki..."

Aki didn't have to turn to know that D-Boy stood behind her, well shadowed in the background.

"I know. You have to leave as well."

D-Boy moved up behind her, "Not for long. I will be leaving with Noal. There's more going on than we think."

"Just go, D." She crossed her arms lightly. "Please be careful..."

D-Boy gave her a light embrace from behind before releasing her and exiting the room. Now truly alone, Aki walked back to the corridor she had come from. Opening the door, she gazed up at her machine, Pegasus.

"I guess it's time."

***********

At the Sank, the doll continued to march toward the capital. But they had ceased from fighting and were merely beginning to secure positions on the battle ravaged land. As they approached, the others who had been fighting were left to themselves.

"Master Quatre." Ahmed called. "We can still fight."

Sandrock however, shook his head. "No. We must respect her decision."

From behind, Noin, still in her white Taurus, strode up beside Sandrock and watched the forces invade the country.

"Quatre. Will you come with me?"

"Where?"

The Taurus's head shifted upward, "To outer space."

"Hmm." Sandrock gazed upward as well. The sun was beginning to descend and the stars were beginning to take up the sky. Wistfully, he answered,

"Back to outer space. Very well. I'll come."

And so it was on the same day, both the Sank Kingdom and the Space Knights surrendered to the power of Romefeller. However, the Space Knight team, Noin and Quatre had fled long before Romefeller established control. Aki remained behind in the center under their watch and was a bit surprised to learn that her position, although now limited, would not be changed and she would still act as Chief. However, the disappearance of her team has put her in an even more difficult position. Back at the Sank, forces have gain total control over the country except for in the mountainous region. There, forces were still in battle with a single tekkaman, who was currently wiping them out.

**"YAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"******

Wing Tekkaman, still under the influence of the Epyon Crystal was waging a one man massacre on the Sol-Tekkas and Virgo dolls. Nothing seemed to be able to stop him or his insane rage.

_A star twinkled above…_

--------------

_The __Sank__Kingdom__ is no more. With Relena's announcement, the battles have ended and the smoke is allowed to clear. The Space Knights have scattered across the globe, looking for ways through the chaos. Relena is brought before Duke Dermail and he offer her an interesting proposal. But Heero continues to fight in a one man assault until he is confronted by his counterpart, Zero. Next on Gundam Tekkaman- Zero vs. Epyon_


	46. Zero vs Epyon

Disclaimer: See chapter one

_AN: Sorry for the long overdue update. I had to put on my super-duper thinking cap._

Chap. 46

_Sank Borderline..._

"We're under attack. We need rein...."

That was the last communication said before the pilot of the Sol-Tekka was destroyed along with his machine. The cause of which was still roaming around. Standing amid the carnage of Sol-Tekkas and Dolls was Wing Tekkaman Epyon. Still driven by the Epyon crystal, Wing had fought without letup, destroying anyone that came close to him and not receiving so much as a scratch himself. Looking up, the berserk gundam caught sight of a retreating Sol-Tekka carrier. Opening his wing protrusions, Wing Epyon shot into the air, unsheathed his sword lancer and ripped right through the carrier, causing it to explode. Looking away from his destroyed target, Wing Epyon landed again and looked toward the sky. A bright blue star shone in the fading sunlight and it seemed to get brighter. Wing Epyon folded his arms and stood by the cliff, watching the star. But the flashing tekka-set on his forehead told him that it wasn't a star. _Not at all._

"Z...e...r...o..."

======================================

_Space Knight____Command____Center___

The three remaining Space Knights were gathering in the command room awaiting the arrival of the OZ commander that was supposed to come in and take over. Millia, Honda and Aki all stood quietly with the OZ soldier surrounding them to keep them under guard. Then the door of the command room opened and another group of OZ soldiers entered in. Coming up from the midst of them was a sturdy looking man with a thick beard. His brownish hair was short and his face was well scarred, giving him an imposing visage. His eyes stayed focused on Aki.

"Aki Kisanagi. I am General Dontello. From this moment on, you and your group will be working under me. I give the orders and you follow them, understood?"

"Understood." Aki replied simply, despite the tension that was brewing in her.

The general looked over and behind her at the others. His eyes moved quickly before they were trained on Aki once again.

"Where's the rest of your team?"

"I'm afraid that they abandoned the command center after the surrender."

The general snorted, "Such lack of loyalty and discipline. I must say, I'm disappointed." He turned around and strode through the room briefly. "After all I heard about the Space Knights, I didn't think something like this would happen. Very disappointing."

Aki said nothing in reply, causing the general to wonder about the circumstances of their disappearance. _'But that can wait until later. Romefeller said they needed a tight reign on the Space Knights and that's just what I'm going to do.'_

"Well then, let's get down to the ground rules. First off, Chief Aki, you are restricted from using your teknobot and transforming. Doing so will make you a target for the dolls, no questions asked. To ensure that, your teknobot is being detained as we speak."

Aki wasn't surprised by this, but there were still others to consider. "And how do you expect this place to function?" she questioned. "Without the others, we don't have a reasonable defense against the Radham."

"The others left, so that's your problem." he shot back. "As for defense, OZ will handle that. So far, this place will only be used for advanced monitoring. Your scanning systems are the most advanced and they will serve us well."

"So we're just a monitoring station?" Aki asked with disdain.

Dontello heard her tone and smiled, "That's right. There's no need for you to do anything else. If you have a problem with that, then you'll just have to deal with it." His gaze returned upon her, "Do you have a problem?"

"No."

The general moved back over toward her, feeling that he was going to drive the final nail here. "I am your commanding officer, 'Chief'. You should address me as such. Clear?"

Aki narrowed her eyes, but responded, "Clear, sir."

============================

_Outer Space..._

In the deep blackness of space sat a construction of immense form. A light grey/silver structure that was diamond shaped in the center, with four longer diamonds around it, like a strange flower. Various forms of equipment and people floated around the gigantic monstrosity, working on various parts to complete it. While this work commenced, inside a departing shuttle, Tuberoff looked on at the massive battle-station with great joy. _'Battleship Libra.__ Its power will make OZ unquestionable.'_ For the past several months, Tuberoff had pushed all the resources obtained from the colonies onto this project. A battle-station with power that would surpass even Barge. But as much as he would have enjoyed overseeing further construction, he was needed back on the Lunar Base. But soon, he would return just as it is active.

"Libra. The epitome of Romefeller's might."

The pilot merely looked at him briefly and then back. Tuberoff didn't want any useless chanter, especially from underlings. But the way the pilot looked at him made him suspicious.

"Do you disagree, soldier?"

The pilot looked back at him with a grin, "Yeah, I do. I disagree with the part of it being _Romefellers_ might."

Tuberoff was suddenly shocked to see that lower down, the pilot was holding a gun on him. Tuberoff arose in shock, but he heard movement behind him and a pair of hands grabbed hold of his arms. Looking to the side, he saw two other soldiers holding him still.

"What is the meaning of this?" he roared.

The soldiers pulled him into the back of the shuttle where Tuberoff saw the officers that had come with him. They made no move to help him and Tuberoff noticed that each one of them had a tekka-set crystal as well as white bands around their arms. Tuberoff was soon met with the group leader. A wizened-looking elderly man with glasses.

"Who are you?" Tuberoff demanded. "What is the meaning of this?"

The leader simply smiled lightly, "Outer space belongs only to us colonists. We of the White Fang will make sure of that."

Tuberoff blinked, "White Fang? Colonists?"

One of the soldiers suddenly came up to the leader, "Quinze. Message from Libra. Everything is secure."

Quinze smiled broadly, "Go. Everything's going according to plan. Report back. Tell them, 'the sheep is in the pen'."

The soldier saluted and moved off while Tuberoff looked on in a greater shock. _'Libra?__ Impossible!'_ Quinze noticed his shock and smiled once more before moving away. Tuberoff looked away toward the window and saw a group of ships beginning to surround them. All Sol-Tekka carriers. _'But why would they need carriers?'_ Then it hit him.

'They're going after Lunar Base!'

============================

The flashing blue energy of a crystal hawk descended on the Earth and skimmed over the water. The energy faded, revealing the armored visage of Zero. Currently, the only thought occupying his mind was reaching the Sank Kingdom. But as he approached, his tekka-set flashed and he looked ahead. Before him, standing on a cliff was...another tekkaman.

"E...p...y...o...n..."

As he spoke, the tekkaman in question crouched low and raised his blade. Seeing that a fight would commence, Zero shot upward into the air and Wing Epyon followed.  Zero stopped and summoned his own lancer. Meeting the charging tekkaman head on, Zero slashed out and their lancer clashed with great energy. The two backed away and shot back, meeting in an even heavier strike.

"H...Heero Yuy!"

"Zechs!"

The two back away again, their minds beginning to surface from the crystals power.

"What are you doing here?" Zechs shot out; his voice strained from his slipping control over Zero.

Heero replied in kind, "That crystal you're using...is a mistake."

Wing Epyon suddenly lunged and Zero managed to block the blow. But it was a feint for Wing Epyon to go past him and lash out with his heat rod whip. But Zero's speed helped him twirl around, slap away the heat rod and ignite his left arm voltekka. A stream of energy fired, but Wing Epyon's speed was just as fast and he dodged the beam. He the struck out and once more, the two tekkaman were in a saber lock.

"Are...you...my enemy?" Zechs asked, his control almost gone.

"Ask...Zero..."

Wing Epyon suddenly pushed back and lunged once more, this time tackling Zero. But Zero managed to flip around and push him back instead, smashing him right into the ground. Dust blew up from the collision and the ground crumbled around. But when it cleared, the two tekkamen were both unharmed and again locked in a lancer hold. The struggle went on for a few minutes before their tekka-sets flashed and they shot into the air, continuing their intense battle.

====================================

_Romefeller__ Foundation._

Relena sat at a clean table by the side of a tall window which overlooked the front yard of the mansion estate. Her eyes looked sadly outward as the butler came and informed her that Duke Dermail will meet her shortly. Relena nodded, but said nothing and kept her gaze outside. She had lost everything. Her kingdom was in ruins and her ideals of peace along with them. But she realized that in order to keep peace, she had to surrender. But now she was at the mercy of Romefeller.

"You must be terribly saddened by the loss of your country, Princess Relena."

Relena slowly turned her head to see Duke Dermail walking toward her. The butler was at his side and at a nod from his master, he poured a kettle of tea into the cup that was before Relena. After doing so he left the room, leaving Relena with Dermail. Dermail stood by the table, but made no move to side down.

"This tea was grown in my garden." he said in a kind manner. "It may not satisfy your taste but please do try it."

Relena simply looked up at him and replied, "Lord Dermail, there is no need for your hospitable treatment towards me." Looking down, she continued softly, "I...I have surrendered to you."

Dermail looked away from her and toward the window, "So you would prefer a prison? There's no need for it. After all, we have rescued you."

Relena narrowed her eyes, "Rescued me?"

Dermail nodded as his gaze swept over the courtyard outside, "All you ever wanted was peace. That's why we have supported you. But former OZ traitors and rebels moved in to destroy your ideals of total pacifism."

"What are you saying?" the girl questioned.

Dermail grinned slightly, "The Romefeller Foundation has rescued you in order to protect your ideals." He turned his head to her, "That is how the public sees this Sank Kingdom conflict."

Relena was taken aback by this, "What?!"

"Your beautiful and noble speech has reached the hearts of the entire world. And we have fought to protect that hope from being extinguished."

Relena almost jumped from her seat as she declared, "No one will believe such a thing."

Dermail folded his arms behind him; his face still in perfect calm and control, "They will when we appoint you, Relena Peacecraft, as the Foundation's representative."

This newest surprise was oddly met with more calm, "Me...as Romefeller's representative?"

"Yes. And by doing so, the Romefeller Foundation will gain trust from the world, allow our World Nation to become a reality." He stopped to look at her more directly, "Of course it will be necessary for you and I to agree. You WILL be the Foundation's representative, Princess Relena."

Dermail blinked briefly and looked up in thought, "Oh no, for that matter, 'Princess' would no longer be appropriate for one who stands on top of the world. 'Queen' Relena would be far more suitable."

Relena frowned deeply, "I decline. I will not betray the people who have fought for me."

"Are you certain of that?" Dermail asked quickly. "You would be on the highest position of the entire Earth."

Relena continued to refuse, "I do not want it. I will not stand over the sadness of oppressed people."

Dermail gave a single laugh, "Even though our means are different, our goals are the same. You wish for peace, do you not?"

Relena clenched her hand in a tight fist, but didn't respond. As much as she didn't like it, this was a way to bring about peace. _But would it be true peace?_ She knew better than that. This was obviously a way to use her status as a figurehead in order to strengthen Romefeller's claim. _But still..._

"You still have time to think it over." Dermail went on to say as he moved toward the door to leave. But before he left, "But don't forget. While you are here thinking, others are out there fighting and dying for peace. How many that dies all depends on the time you take."

===============================

_Lunar Base_

The shuttle had arrived, along with a platoon of Leo Sol-Tekkas. The base was completely unprepared for the arrival and especially for those inside who were rounded up by the White Fang soldiers stationed onboard. Tuberoff, lead by Quinze and a troop of soldiers, was led one of the communications relay on the Lunar Base. Quinze indicated to one of the officers, who activated the relay and thus put him on line with all the colonies.

_"We are the colony revolution fighters, White Fang. Fellow colonists, now is the time to stand. At present our comrades have Tuberoff, the tyrant, in confinement. We do not need to obey orders. Earth has stripped us of resources and labor. But we were never meant to be their equals. The Radham war both showed us and gave us our strength and resolve."_

From the L2 colony, Duo watched the speech as well, much to his discomfort.

_'Just great.__ Those guys are going to start another war.'_

_"Join us. Join us in the fight for freedom! Let us build peace in space!"_

Quinze then signaled to cut the transmission and then looked over at Tuberoff, "Now it's your turn, colonel. Now it's time for you to declare OZ's defeat to the colony citizens."

Tuberoff scowled, "I will do no such thing!"

Tuberoff suddenly yanked free from one of the guard's hold and rushed into the other, pushing him away. As the soldier stumbled, Tuberoff took flight, dashing into the corridor behind. The soldiers ran after him, but Tuberoff quickly ran off into another corridor and sealed it behind.

_'It doesn't matter now.'_ Quinze thought. _'The revolution has already begun.'_

Meanwhile, Tuberoff had managed to find his way into a control room. Sealing the door behind, he quickly jumped on the terminal and accessed the Sol-Tekka Doll control system. _'Fools.__ If they think they can take control, then they've reckoned with the power of my dolls.'_ Fortunately, the White Fang hadn't yet situated their forces yet, so he would still be able to fight back and take back the base. _'I will not surrender. Not when the most powerful weapons are under my command.'_

Outside in the various holding areas, the Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls shimmered to life and began moving. The docking bay opened and the dolls flew out across the grey landscape of the moon. Seeing their targets before them, they wasted no time as the fired upon the White Fang. The White Fang was caught by surprise, but quickly entered into the fight. Inside the Leos, the soldiers morphed into the primary body forms, letting them move faster in their machines and match the Virgos briefly. In any even, a massive battle ensued. The winner, control of Lunar Base.

================================

_Beach, unknown.___

It was a quiet day on the beach, which was currently deserted. Not too far away from the beach, a rocky cove a stationed nearby. Yet, if you look close enough, a small cave could be seen within the rock of the cove. And inside the cave, a small jetship sat within. _Alpha ship._ Also, tracks could be seen on the sands of the beach that trailed from the cave and leading up to two figures walking.

"This has been a hectic day, huh?"

"Yeah. You could say that again."

Yumi and Hayato strode over the beach and headed for the nearby town. After the surrender, they had all separated to different parts of the earth. Naturally, Hayato accompanied Yumi while the others went their separate ways.

"So what do we do now?" Hayato asked uncertainly.

"I'm...not sure really." Yumi replied meekly. "Maybe wait for a sign."

"I don't know about a sign. But we should wait."

The two blinked and turned around to see the source of the voice. To their bigger surprise, it was Dead End, strolling right behind them.

"Dead?! You're here?" Yumi exclaimed.

Dead continued to walk slowly, but answered, "I figured I stay with you for a while. Is that a problem?"

"Not at all." the girl retorted. "It just that...well, I thought you would have went with David and Anita."

"Didn't feel like it." he replied. But the truth of the matter was that he really didn't want to see David right now. After their previous encounters with Tekkaman Slayer, there had been slight friction between the two friends. David would have tried to patch things up, but Dead would have none of it. Not right now anyway. And he couldn't have gone with Natasha and Goliathe for obvious reasons. He could have also gone solo, but for some reason, he felt that he should at least be with someone during this time. May as well be the 'children'.

"Besides, everyone's always saying that you two need supervision."

As if on cue, Hayato frowned, "Hey, what's that mean?!"

Dead stopped in his tracks briefly and turned to show Hayato a slight grin, "Oh, you should know Hayato. Everyone else does." His eyes shifted to Yumi for a moment, "Almost everyone."

Yumi blinked at his gesture and turned to Hayato, "Everyone knows what? What he talking about?"

Hayato blanched and quickly waved his hand, "Oh, it nothing. Nothing at all."

Dead continued to watch the exasperated boy with amusement, "Yeah. I'm sure it's nothing." Turning forward, he continued on his walk. "Well, we should get going, don't you think?"

"Hey, you're not the boss of us!" Hayato yelled. But that was soon knocked off to the side when Yumi rushed up with Dead. Waving back...

"Come on Hayato, let go."

Hayato blinked in stunned silence before his brain kick in and he ran after them. "Hey wait up!"

=============================

The land around the two battling tekkamen quickly became a wasteland as the fight went on. Both tekkamen were moving at insane speeds, constantly slashing at each other with increased ferocity and power for every blow and strike. But neither one managed to pull off a direct hit on the other, for their attacks would either be blocked, countered, dodged, or parried by the other. The crystals were feeding them more power, but the strain was beginning to take its toll on the two warriors. Nevertheless, their single-minded drive for destruction and victory was preventing them from stopping. The two repeatedly attacked each other in the air and soon shot toward the ground.

"Voltekka!!!!!!!!"

Wing Epyon charged and his lancer's cells emerged and blasted outward, forming a massive blade of energy. With a cry, Wing Epyon raised the blade and smashed it down onto the earth and Zero. But Zero's wing protrusions opened and the tekkaman shot off to the side and in the air, leaving the destructive energy behind to tear up the ground. Seeing him now open, Zero positioned both his arms forward and summoned to combined energy of both voltekka cells.

"Voltekka!!!!!!!"

The dual beams fired and combined into a single force of destruction. Wing Epyon shot his head up and shot back and away, causing the voltekka to impact the ground and explode with tremendous force. More dust spewed up like a cloud before the two and they charged again, clashing on the ground with more force. They then backed away, their tekka-sets flashed rapidly. It was too much for them to continue. They had already maxed out their abilities and their energy was dangerously low. The two stood, ready to charge again.

"Naaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

"Grraaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

Suddenly, the two grasped their heads in pain and screamed. The tekka-sets flashed continuously as they knelt down to the ground, wracking their heads. Their armored bodies shimmered and glowed brightly until with one final cry, the armors shattered. The fragments floated in the air briefly and seemed to intertwine before they vanished altogether, leaving the two fighters naked, exhausted and spent. It only took a second for them to collapse completely onto the ground.

==============================

_Lunar Base_

The battle continued, quickly reaching a high intensity. Even though the White Fang soldiers were fighting better than anyone could in a Leo Sol-Tekka, they were still outmatched by the superior might of the Virgos. The fighting was so intense that it began to seep inside the base, with weapons fire blasting through the docking bays. However, this gave the White Fang a slight advantage, allowing the soldiers without Sol-Tekkas to battle in their primary body forms within an atmospheric condition. Within one of these, a team of primary bodies and Leo Sol-Tekkas were in a fierce firefight with the dolls. Neither group seemed to be backing off in their battle. But that was until the dolls began exploding from behind.

_'What?'_

A green light engulfed the entire corridor and the dolls were all decimated. However, the light continued through and was seen to be energy. The White Fang was shocked as the form of a tekkaman emerged through the light and rushed right through them. The Leos exploded while the primary bodies were ripped apart. The light finally faded down, revealing the tekkaman's true form. _Tekkaman__ Altron._

"There will be no more fighting! Not in outer space!"

Twirling his double-trident lancer, Altron blasted right out of the corridor and toward the surface where the main battle was taking place. He barged right in and lashed across his front. He didn't care who it was, White Fang or Romefeller. They were fighting and he was going to stop it all. Both parties were in disarray at the arrival of the tekkaman. The White Fang were thrown into confusion at fighting enemies on two fronts, with a gundam tekkaman as their new great adversary. The dolls re-adjusted their battle tactics and fired upon the tekkaman as well, activating their disruptors. But that did very little to slow down the driven tekkaman as he ripped, slashed, and tore through them all without letup. As the dolls fell, Tuberoff watched from his controls.

"No. That's impossible. My dolls can not be defeated!"

The destruction continued on, but Tuberoff didn't believe in and went mad.

"My dolls of invincible!!!!! THEY CAN NOT BE DEFEATED!!!!!"

Suddenly, the door opened behind him and a figure stood there. Tuberoff turned around just as a bullet shot through him. With a smile, the figure moved into the control and pushed Tuberoff's dead body aside. It then began to hit a few key on the controls and ejected a device from it. It then turned, stopping briefly to see the image of the gundam tekkaman in action. Another grin formed and the figure left, with a tekka-set shimmering on its forehead.

==============================

_Sank_

Heero's eyes opened and his arms moved to lifted himself up. That wasn't without difficulty, but he managed to push his body up and his knee forward. As he looked up, he saw Zechs was already on one knee like himself, but he was looking down at his hand.

"It has changed. The crystal."

True enough, Zechs primary body crystal had been transformed fully. Instead of being two crystals with one within the other, it was now a single crimson tekka-set crystal. Heero blinked and looked down at his own, seeing that had changed as well into a slightly larger pale-blue crystal.

"It would appear that Epyon has chosen me." Zechs muttered. Looking back at Heero, "And Zero, you."

"Epyon showed me." Heero said shortly. "You will oppose me."

Zechs simply stared at the youth briefly and then turned his attention to the air. A good distance away, a group of carriers were approaching. _Reinforcements._

"I don't know how Trieze thinks anyway." Heero replied as he arose fully from the ground.

Zechs looked deeper at his crystal. _'Epyon...Trieze...So it seems that you will aid me even now. Very well then.'_

Zechs got to his feet and stood beside Heero, looking at the incoming carriers. Heero grasped his crystal and summoned its power.

"Tek- Setta!!!!!!"

The carriers in the air approached the fallen Sank Kingdom after receiving the call for reinforcements. The pilots aboard soon caught sight of the blue energy coming at them, but were helpless to do anything as the crystal hawk ripped through them, causing them to explode. The energy bird continued through them, wiping out several carriers in one pass. But it showed no sign of a repeat attack as it began to soar away from them and into the air. The remaining carrier opened and launched their Dolls in order to pursue, but they missed the second energy that flew up from the same area. It was another crystal hawk, emerald green in color.

With equally angry emerald eyes within...

=================================

_Unknown..._

The dark cavern was littered with weird blinking lights that flashed ominously back and forth. So it was a change when a brighter light flashed in the midst of the cavern. The light quickly disappeared, showing the figure of a man entering in. He walked into a brighter part of the cavern and knelt down before a massive dark figure before him.

"Have you succeeded, Sliver?"

"Yes sir. It was far easier than imagined. The human fools were so preoccupied that my presence there wasn't even noticed."

"Good. We have that gundam to thank for that. Soon will be our time to move in force. But there is still the problem with those gundam tekkamen along with the Space Knights."

"I have learned that the Space Knights have been divided." Sliver responded, pleasure evident in his voice.

"Good. Now we can kill them off piece by piece."

"Slayer is still on earth. But I fear she may not be serious about this."

"Let her have her fun. Her chaotic methods are useful for the moment. In the meantime, I want you to focus you efforts on the gundams. One managed to escape, but there are others and they must be dealt with before they could regroup together."

Sliver frowned at the mention of the one that got away. _'Hellscythe.__ I'll make sure to kill you next time.'_ Returning his attention to his master, "And what about the other Space Knights, master?"

"I'll leave that to him." Sliver stood up and looked over to where his master had indicated. There, a glowing pod pulsated on the wall. The beat quickly grew more rapid until the pod burst open. Dripping out of it, an armored form descend and knelt down on the ground. The armor sprang open wide and a dark emerald eye gleamed from it.

"Our first gundam. Tekkaman Shirken!"

"I hear you, my lord."

==========================

_Romefeller___

The late sunset was finally beginning to disappear over the landscape. Relena hadn't moved from her spot since Dermail's offer. Her mind was wracked with possibilities and consequences. But the question still remained. As she pondered over these things, the butler had placed a serving of food down before her and noticed her still gaze.

"Are you alright, miss?"

Relena shut her eyes briefly before turning to him, "I am fine, thank you." She looked down at the plate of food, but still made no move as she spoke again.

"Please inform Duke Dermail that I...accept his offer to be representative of the Romefeller Foundation."

==========================

_Lunar Base_

The base was ravaged by the battle and particularly the tekkaman. But parts of it were still fully functional and those who survived regrouped within. Inside, Quinze was in transmission contact with Serderci, the man who was in charge of the Libra takeover.

"A gundam? Why would a gundam attack there?"

"I believe that he was actually attacking OZ and we happened to be in the way." Quinze answered. "He didn't know our intentions."

"I see. And what of Tuberoff?"

"Dead. We found his body in a hidden Sol-Tekka Doll control room. But it makes no difference. How are things at your end?"

Serdeci grinned, "Control here is complete. And construction is still on schedule. Libra will be completed soon enough."

"Good. Keep me informed."

------------------------

_Dead, Yumi and Hayato are held up in a small hotel trying to determine and decide on what to do. However, an encounter with Tekkaman Slayer causes them to spring into action. Relena prepares for her premier as queen and true to Dermail's plan, she is able to unite the world. In outer space, Quatre and Noin are attacked by a new tekkaman and Quatre is forced into a difficult position. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: The Birth of Queen Relena._


	47. The Birth of Queen Relena

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Chap. 47

_Earth orbit..._

A lone space shuttle soared out of the Earth and toward the Space Ring. Inside, Noal and D-Boy sat in the pilot seats. After the surrender, they had escaped from the Command Center and onboard an unmarked shuttle. Noal was at the controls while D simply sat with his arms folded. D was a bit worried about having the Space Knight split up, but kept confident that they could handle themselves. They would have to wait to find out though. It would be a long time before they returned to Earth.

_Flashback, chapter 41_

"D-Boy. We have to talk."

D stopped in his tracks and looked at his friend silently. Noal strode back in the room and closed the door behind him.

"There's more to what I said. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but if it is, we could be in more trouble than we think."

D looked at him intently, waiting for him to explain.

"There was word that the gundams were originally created through use of another tekkaman...from the first war."

D's eyes widened behind the shades, but Noal could see his surprise anyway.

"You think it's possible that one of Omega's tekkaman is still alive?"

Noal shook his head, "I don't know. It was all vague. That's why I think we should investigate."

"We?"

Noal shrugged and lent back against the wall, "I've been in prison for too long. I barely know the outside world now. And I'm guessing that you will want to know whatever you can." He stopped briefly and looked around, "Besides, knowing you, you've probably keep holed yourself in this room." A grin formed, "The fresh air will do you some good."

D simply sighed.

_Flashback end..._

"Where are we going?"

Noal replied, "Based off where I was imprisoned, the best place to start looking would be the Space Ring. We have to find out who controlled that section of the ring and go from there."

D simply looked ahead, "That won't be necessary. I've learned that the group that was in control of that section had moved to one of the colonies. We start looking there."

Noal turned to him in surprise, "How do you know that?"

No response. Noal sighed and faced forward again. _'Hasn't changed at all...'_ He veered the shuttle away from the Space Ring and asked, "Which colony?"

"Colony L4."

============================

_'Such a nice place.'___

The slim visage of Auroua looked down upon the beachside town. Occupants were moving about doing their everyday activities, unaware of the woman who was watching or the danger she imposed. Her tekkaset glimmered and her eyes gleamed with anticipation.

_'It's time to play again, Dead.'_

============================

_Romefeller___

As preparations continued for the broadcast of the Foundation's newest representative, Relena herself was being outfitted for the occasion. Several maids and household servants were moving diligently to dress and groom the reluctant queen. Relena merely seemed passive to it all, although she was really tense about it all. Still, this was the decision she chose. It was her best way...her only way, to bring about total peace on Earth. But what if she was unsuccessful? Then the result would be more catastrophic than she could imagine. And even if she could, what about the colonies? What about the Radham? What about...

_'Steady, Relena.'_ she encouraged herself. _'One problem at a time.'_ Still, she felt that she may not be strong enough. Trying to convince people to stop fighting while inside the very source of the conflict would be difficult to say the least. There was a good chance that her position could damage whatever credibility she may have had. She just felt like dropping down from exhaustion. Yet, whenever such thoughts crossed into her mind, another one follows. The memory of the young man who fought on behalf of what he believed was right without hesitation.

_'Heero...'_

With this resolve, Relena shut her eyes for a moment and then opened them, watching the servants complete her gorgeous white dress gown with a matching gold crown. She envisioned just as she was supposed to.

_A queen..._

============================

_Town..._

Yumi and Hayato walked down the street of the small town, heading back to the inn they were staying at. When they first arrived, they were pretty much bored stiff. With no real way of knowing what was going on in the world aside from reports over the radio, they were somewhat isolated. But they did know that the command center was now under OZ occupation. With no word from the others, they had nothing to do. Keeping themselves occupied, they explored the town and bought food and supplies while Dead simply sat around in the hotel room.

"Man, I'd never thought I'd actually miss Honda putting me to work." Hayato said as he carried some of the bags.

Yumi shrugged, "Hey, just think of it as a big vacation."

"I guess."

Yumi stopped and looked at him, "Hey, don't be so down. It's not that bad."

Hayato sighed, "I know. I guess I'm feeling kinda homesick. And we've only been away for a week."

Yumi looked away and replied quietly, "I know the feeling. But we have to keep our heads up. Try thinking positive."

Hayato sighed again and looked up at her, "Gosh Yumi. You seem to find the bright side of everything."

**Kaboooooooommmmmm****!!!!!!**

Both knights were pushed to the ground by the force of an explosion. People were running in panic as another explosion ripped across the buildings. Hayato tried to rise until he realized that Yumi had fallen right on top of him. A steady blush soon creased on his face, but Yumi didn't notice. Looking up at her, Hayato saw why. Her tekkaset was glowing on her forehead and that only meant one thing. Both of them arose from the floor and looked at the chaos before them. From deep within the smoke of the fires stepped out a dark armored figure. Green hair whipped through the flames as the dark tekkaman Slayer stepped out and quickly spotted the Space Knights.

"Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here. At last, I meet the great Tekkaman Hiver. I'd ask for an autograph, but I don't have a pen." She lifted her lancer and held it back. "So I'll settle for just killing you."

Yumi clenched her fists and waved Hayato back silently. Hayato took the hint and ran off while Yumi summoned her tekka-set crystal.

"Tek-Setta!!!!"

The familiar pink light engulfed her as her armor was summoned forth. The parts slowly shimmered on and connected together, completing her transformation.

"Tekkaman Hiver!"

Slayer seemed to shrug as Hiver summoned her lancer. "Nice entrance. Let's play."

Slayer shot up in the air and Hiver followed. The two tekkaman reared their lancers back and struck forward, creating a shock between the two. Slayer charged forward again and Hiver sidestepped, letting her pass briefly before following her. The two soared across the sky in one direction with their blades clashing repeatedly. Slayer finally disengaged and landed on one of the buildings.

"My, my, you're pretty spry for a child. This might be more fun than I thought."

Hiver simply raised her lancer and charged...

================================

_Space..._

Another shuttle was also heading for the L4 colony. Within it, Quatre and Noin were making their way to Quatre's home colony. Since the loss of the Sank Kingdom, they had been heading to this place in order to catch up with events. They heard of Relena's capture, but nothing more. There was also a rumor that the Space Knights had surrendered as well, but they didn't know for sure.

"I hope Relena is alright."

"I wouldn't worry." Noin assured him. "Romefeller will keep her prisoner until they can decide on what to do. But I doubt they'll harm her. If anything, she'll probably get special treatment."

Quatre seemed to agree when his tekkaset suddenly flashed upon his forehead.

"Huh?"

Noin noticed his abrupt change and asked, "What is it?"

Quatre looked straight and peered through the space before them, "Something...There."

In the space ahead, multiple objects could be seen flying toward them. Noin instantly assumed it was OZ, but a closer inspection showed something else. Radham. Quatre stood up from his seat.

"I'll handle them."

Noin nodded simply, "Be careful, Quatre."

Quatre nodded in reply and moved into the airlock chamber. Calling his crystal forth he raised it high and...

"Tek-Setta!!!!!!!!!"

Quatre's body shot out through the airlock and into space in a flash of golden light. With the amazing power of his tekka-set crystal, which calls upon the universal forces of time and space, Quatre is able to undergo an incredible transformation and is endowed with gundanium armor...quantum energy weapons...and superhuman powers...transforming him into the desert Gundam Tekkaman Sandrock.

"Ha!"

Sandrock's curved lancers came into view and he flew into the midst of the enemy swarm...

===========================

_Romefeller__..._

"Come in."

Relena looked away from the window to see Dorothy Catalona enter in. She wore a black dress with matching black gloves. Her hair stayed as it was before, for she saw no need to tie it. Giving her usual smile...

"Ms. Relena, are you ready now?"

"Yes." Relena replied as she roused up from her seat.

Dorothy curtsied and lent her hand back, "Then, shall we go? The day has finally come for you to stand at the top of the world."

Relena didn't reply and simply walked out the room with Dorothy by her side. The two moved through the hallways of the Foundations heading toward the main hall.

"Everyone was so surprised!" Dorothy continued, her smile never leaving her face. "I feel so happy, almost as if it was happening to me." Looking at Relena, "Oh, Ms. Relena. That expression won't do! Please, smile. Starting today you are the queen of the world."

Relena didn't totally smile, but her expression brightened enough to satisfy Dorothy. The two finally enter the main hall. The members of Romefeller clapped at her entrance and Relena continued to make her way to the stage. Dorothy had long moved away and took her own seat up front. Relena then walked up and behind the podium. Her eyes searched through the crowds, seeing the numerous world leaders of Romefeller. She was also able to see the communications outlets that would broadcast her message to both the world and outer space. Relena closed her eyes for a moment, drawing on the strength that she had called on so many times and then began.

"To all people on the Earth and in space. I, Relena Peacecraft, have today become the leader of the Romefeller Foundation. However, this was not for the benefit of the Romefeller Foundation. I feel this is the important first step on a path that we all can walk together to eliminate strife in society, and to bring about an age of peace."

_Outer Space..._

Duo watched the broadcast intently...

"Everyone, please throw away your weapons and stop fighting. I'm sure that we are all wishing for the same future. Won't you join me in traveling to that future?"

_Space Knight__Command__Center__..._

Aki, Honda and Fera all watched the scene from the vid-screen...

"Leaving behind this nation that has been the cause of so much strife, and thinking of the whole Earth as one country, I declare the establishment of a new world nation."

No sooner than it ended then everyone in the crowds clapped and cheered in approval, with Dorothy in the forefront of it all. Relena gave a thank you and left the stage, but the members continued to cheer.

============================

_Space_

The Radham force shrieked as they engaged the gundam tekkaman. But the shrieks were due to their being sliced apart by Sandrock as he easily charged through them and ripped them to shreds. Their numbers were being reduced fast and it would only be a matter of time before it was over. Sandrock was about to bear his lancer on another one when he suddenly stopped. His head gem flashed and he looked away. The Radham too, were beginning to move away from Sandrock and parting aside from a new figure that floated in their midst. It was another tekkaman. But there was one detail in particular that caught Quatre's attention.

_'That's...another gundam!'_

Indeed, the tekkaman was shaded in armor similar to Sandrock's. He was cloaked in deep purple armor with brown underneath. His arms were lined up with several loose spike-like objects. A single red eye shimmered at Sandrock.

"Who are you?"

The tekkaman didn't answer. Rather, the tekkaman raised an arm and flashed it forward. The spikes detached and soared straight at Sandrock. Sandrock quickly raised his left arm and stopped them with his shield arm. But the objects exploded a moment after impact and Sandrock was pushed back slightly. The tekkaman then looked over at the shuttle Noin was in a distance away. With his other arm, he lashed at her and sent the darts in her direction.

"No!"

Sandrock quickly shot toward the shuttle and quickly stood before it as the dart hit. Sandrock was stabbed and the darts exploded all over him.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!"

Sandrock was blasted back once more, almost hitting the shuttle itself. Noin managed to maneuver the shuttle away as Sandrock struggled to regain his bearing. The damage on his armor wasn't much, but it was enough to slow him down. Sandrock looked up at his apparent for once more as the new tekkaman hovered toward him.

"You're weak!"

Sandrock managed to hold himself upright and repeated, "Who are you?!"

The tekkaman lifted his arm once more and the single eye flashed again.

"I am Shirken."

He waved...

================

_Unknown..._

In a darkened room, Trieze Khusrenada silently watched the speech given by Relena. Folding his hands, he thought to himself.

_'Well it seems that the Foundation has thought this out. Relena's ability to sway the public to their opinion was quite clever. But it appears they didn't see the real power Relena has gained in the process.'_

As this went through his mind, in another unknown place, another figure watched the broadcast as well. The vid-screen clicked off and Heero stared at the blank screen.

"Relena..."

--------------------------------------------------------

_Quatre__ is locked in a fierce battle against Tekkaman Shirken and the dark tekkaman plans to use Noin in order to win by attacking her repeatedly. Meanwhile Slayer once again confronts her brother and shows him what it means to be a true dark tekkaman. And as the plans for the World Nation unfold, Heero also faces a decision of his own. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Embers of Darkness_


	48. Embers of Darkness

Disclaimer: See chapter one 

Chap. 48

_Outer Space…_

Spikes of energy soared and exploded throughout space, trailing behind a sole figure attempting to escape from them. Tekkaman Sandrock continued to fly away from the relentless assault of the dark gundam tekkaman Shirken. Shirken repeatedly launched his energy spikes at Sandrock, preventing the desert gundam from doing anything else but retreat. As Sandrock flew away, Shirken went in pursuit, keeping up the continuous fire.

"Run if you like, but you'll never escape me."

Sandrock looked behind him and suddenly flashed in light. Reaching his crystal hawk form, Sandrock was able to fly away far from the energy spike, turn around and charge. Shirken stopped in his tracks and continued firing, but the beam deflected of the yellow crystal hawk coming at him. Seeing that his attacks are in vain, Shirken summoned his own crystal hawk and charged at Sandrock. The two clashed and flew away from each other. Shirken circled along with Sandrock and they struck each other again. This sequence went on for in flashes of light for a while, with each clash being stronger than the last. After the fifth exchange, they soaredbeside each other, coming out of their crystal hark forms. Sandrock summoned forth his curved lancer and slashed forward. Shirken blocked with his wrist blade arms and locked up, causing the armored warriors to twirl in space. Shirken backed away and his blade started to glow, but Sandrock shot forward, halting Shirken's attack and forcing him to defend once more.

"Why are you fighting me?" Sandrock questioned.

Shirken didn't answer and he kicked away, pushing Sandrock back quite a distance. Now free, Shirken's blade spike glowed again and he waved his arm forward, sending out the deadly energy against an open Sandrock. Sandrock raised his shield arm in defense, but the resulting impact and explosion caused Sandrock to fly back again. The desert tekkaman quickly recovered and held off the charging tekkaman with his lancers once again. But Shirken hadn't connected fully and continued on with a shrannggg before turning around for another assault. Seeing him returning, Sandrock held his lancers forward. They began to glow in crimson red and he tossed the lancers with deadly force and speed. Shirken looked in shock and veered off to the side, avoiding them. But one of the lancer cut through his shoulder armor and cut it clean off. Despite that, the dark gundam taunted.

"Your powers are meager compared to mine."

The dark gundam raised his arm and the blades glowed more brightly. Waving them both at once, Shirken sent a hailstorm of energy spikes at Sandrock. Sandrock crossed is arms and took the multiple hits and explosions caused by the spikes.

"Gggggghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

Seeing a weakened Sandrock, Shirken charged for the kill when a beam of energy shot in between them. Shirken turned to the source and discovered that it came from the energy cannon of Noin's white Taurus Sol-Tekka.

"Quatre, are you okay?"

Shirken didn't wait for an answer to be heard as he swooped toward Noin instead. Noin fired on him, but the gundam was too fast and his arm ripped downward on the cannon, slicing it in half. Noin was pushed back by the momentum and Shirken wheeled around her and stabbed his clawed hand into the back of the Sol-Tekka, crushing the boosters in the process.

"Ahhh!!!"

"Miss Noin!"

Sandrock had recovered only to see Shirken hold on to the Sol-Tekka's back. Sparks were beginning to spring out, indicating that he was still crushing it, albeit slowly. If he kept that up, Noin would suffocate in the vacuum of space. Shirkne stopped for a moment and directed his attention to Sandrock.

"You want this woman to live? A life for a life then. Yours for hers. The choice is yours."

=================================

_Town_

The town was beginning to show signs of damage from the battle between the two female tekkamen as they literally tore up the skies. Crowds of people scrambled away during the battle as Hiver and Slayer struck at each other. However, despite Hiver's increased power, it was the darker tekkaman that was gaining the advantage. The two soon lowered to ground level where Slayer charged in for an attack. Hiver met the clash, but the force of the strike knocked her back into one of the buildings, causing her to crash inside. Slayer hovered overhead as the building side crumbled.

"Aw, come on missy. It was just getting fun."

A sudden rush came out of the building as Hiver emerged in force and bashed into Slayer. Slayer gasped upon impact and Hiver punched forward, pushing her further through the air. As Slayer reeled, Hiver began to energize and she crossed her arms.

"Reactor…Voltekka!!!!!"

A swirling beam of energy flashed out of her arm and straight at Slayer. Slayer recovered just in time to see the beam come at her and shot away in a flash. The beam turned in kind and split up into five separate beams, all chasing after her. Slayer cut through the air once more, but the beams stayed tight on her trail. Slayer ignited into he crystal hawk form and bolted further, with Hiver's beam still giving chase. Slayer looked back for a moment and then zoomed away again in another direction. The reactor beam continued to follow, but Slayer had moved away fast enough to fly right at the source. _Hiver__ herself._

_'No!'_

Hiver had been stationary from using the Reactor long enough for Slayer to collide into her forcefully.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Hiver was blasted away and skid across the ground. Without her focus, the Reactor Voltekka ceased and Slayer shot at Hiver and held her lancer on her.

"You played a great game. Such a shame such spirit will be snuffed out, but that's the way it is."

Slayer raised her lancer and set it to stab down when a couple of energy beams caught her attention and caused her to leap away. Looking up, she saw the Alpha starjet flying overhead, sending continuous fire her way, driving her away from Hiver.

"Foolish brat. You can't save her…or yourself."

Slayer jetted into the air, ready to tear the jet in half when another object shot in front of her, stopping her attack.

_Tekkaman__ Dead…_

===================================

_Space Knight____Command____Center___

Aki strode toward the command chamber after Dontello had summoned her. The door opened before her and she entered inside, finding the man in question sitting in her old position in the center of the room. Aki stood before the general as he folded his hands on the table and addressed her.

"Chief Aki."

He pressed a key and a monitor lit up, showing the various activities taking place around the world.

"With the coming of the World Nation, there should be a strong force to protect it, don't you agree?"

"Would it mean anything if I agreed or not?" Aki replied neutrally.

The general gave a light chuckle, "No. But an air of civility is needed between us at least. The point is that change is never easy. There will be many rebellions to deal with."

Aki frowned slightly, "What does this have to do with the Space Knights?"

Dontello folded his finger together, "We need a strong defense to deal with such rebellions. The Space Knight would suit that purpose perfectly."

"Our mandate is to combat the Radham. Anything else..."

"I'm changing that mandate." Dontello cut her off. "Remember, you are under OZ control and as such, you will do as we say."

The Space Knight Chief stared hard at the general, "We may be under your control now, but if you continue with such actions, the first rebellion may begin here."

The hard stare was returned, "Is that a threat, _Chief_?"

"No. That...is just a possible result."

His stare turned cold as he sat back in the seat, "I'll keep that in mind. Dismissed."

Aki walked away in silence. The OZ general was already beginning to assert his authority. It would only be a matter of time before they came to blows in the worse way, within the command center. As the door closed behind her, she let out a sigh and gazed at her palm. A red object materialized in her hand briefly before it faded away.

_It was a tekka-set crystal..._

==========================

Sandrock looked on in horror as Shirken continued to hold Noin hostage  He couldn't risk attacking for fear Shirken would tear a hole out and kill Noin. But if he surrendered, there was no guarantee that Shirken would release her. In fact, he was almost certain that Shirken would kill her regardless. But he wasn't completely sure of that. What could he do?

"Quatre...attack..."

Shirken tightened his grip, causing her to be silent again. As more sparks flew out, Shirken mocked, "He won't attack. He won't risk your safety. I've studied you gundams and you are by far the weakest, Sandrock. Weak because of your compassion and kindness. Now surrender to me or she dies now."

Sandrock was frozen solid, trying to find a way through this. If he didn't attack, Noin would die. If he surrendered, both would die. Logic shows that he had to attack, despite the risk.

_'But...I...must...but... I...'_

Shirken waved the Sol-Tekka, "Your time is up, Snadrock." His grip tightened, "As is hers!"

"No!"

Suddenly, both Sandrock's and Shirken's head gems shimmered and glowed. Both tekkamen looked up to see a shuttle flying toward them. As it continued to come, a flash of emerald light shot out from it and came directly at them; a glow that could only be recognize as the transformation of a tekkaman. As the glow dimmed, white armor emerged from the light and green eyes flashed out. Shirken gasped in surprise, unexpectedly releasing Noin and allowing Sandrock to reach her. The Sol-Tekka was damaged, but luckily it wasn't too serious. Sandrock looked back up as the tekkaman revealed himself.

"Tekkaman Blade!"

Shirken growled and zoomed at Blade. Blade's lancer came to form and Skirken rushed past him with a clash, but Blade didn't stagger. Blade then followed him through space and slashed out. Shirken blocked, but the force of the blow caused him to falter backward. The two dashed at each other through space repeatedly, streaking across the blackness of space. Shirken's arm blades shimmered and he flashed them out in a wide arc of projectiles. Blade dodged the majority of the beams while a few hit him and exploded. But that didn't stop Blade from coming in close and striking out, locking blades once again. Shirken back out and away from Blade. He knew he was no match for a warrior like Blade. He would have to wait another time.

"I will deal with you another time, Sandrock. As well as you, Blade."

Another flash and Shirken flew off into space in retreat. The shuttle pulled by as Sandrock moved with the damaged Taurus Sol-Tekka.

"Miss Noin, are you alright?"

A moan echoed out before she answered him, "Yeah. Somehow or other. That guy came close, whoever he was."

Sandrock moved toward the approaching shuttle while Blade had returned and followed them in. Noin was settled into the docking port while Blade and Sandrock reverted back to their normal forms. Quatre stayed in the back for a while in order to change while D-Boy was already clothed. Coming out into the bridge, Quatre and Noin met up with their saviors, D-Boy and Noal.

"Well fancy meeting you out here. So this is a gundam."

"My name is Quatre." he introduced himself. "Quatre Rabaera Winner."

"Lucrezia Noin."

Noal nodded, "Noin...ah yeah, I remember you. I heard about you when you were a cadet in the Lake Victoria base. One of the high-ranked students."

"That was a long time ago, Commodore Noal." she replied.

"So you recognize me."

Noin folded her arms and smiled, "You left quite an impression during your visit. Especially in your pilot tutorial.  But after that, you disappeared."

Giving a light shrug, Noal answered, "Yet another long story. So what were you guys doing out here anyway, aside from fighting with that tekkaman?"

"Well, ever since the Sank Kingdom's collapse, we had to regroup somewhere." Quatre answered. "We decided to go to the colonies."

"Well, we were heading that way ourselves. The Command Center has been taken over as well."

Quatre gasped in shock, "What?!"

D-Boy finally decided to speak, "Romefeller is in control, but the knights are still active. We were heading the L4 colony to find some answers."

"Answers?"

Noal spun around in his seat, "We'll explain it on the way. We can't stay here any longer. OZ will be on its way here so we better get moving."

"Right."

===========================

"It's about time you showed up, little one."

Dead made no reply at first and then spoke, "Sister, stop this."

Slayer looked over to the side, "Why should I? It is of no consequence." Looking back at Dead, "Join with me, little one. You do not need the Space Knights. They are now dust in the wind. You do not need to die with them and the rest of this pathetic world."

On the ground below, Hiver managed to recover and looked up at the exchange. Dead had been silent for a good bit, causing her to worry. She flew up behind him to check.

"Dead?"

"Quiet, child!" Slayer snapped at Hiver before addressing Dead once again. "Leave the Space Knights."

"I..." Dead felt helpless once again. He had to make a decision, but he didn't know which the right one was. Would he fight his sister, just to protect people who would easily turn against him? His glance turned to Hiver and then back to Slayer.

"I am a Space Knight."

Slayer's grip on her lancer tightened slightly before it loosened. An eerie chuckle came from her dark presence. "I can see that you are still confused, so I'll offer you a choice." She pointed her lancer at him, "You will join me, willingly or otherwise." Her shoulders suddenly shimmered with energy as the sphere on them began to glow. Dead and Hiver looked on and prepared themselves as they watched. Dark lightning crackled around her as she continued speaking.

"And this is the offer!"

She shot up high into the air and turned around in a graceful spin. The dark energy crackled violently as Slayer cried out.

"Voltekka!!!!!!!"

A purple beam blasted out downward, but not at the Space Knights. Rather, it flew into the center of the town and exploded in a maelstrom of darkness. The building shatter instantly and the shockwave ripped through the town, causing the other buildings to topple as well. Hiver and Hayato looked on in horror at the devastation that had been made.

"No! The people!"

Dead was in shock as well. He never though she would fire on the people. They had nothing to do with the fight at all. Looking up at Slayer, he watched as she chuckled more.

"That is the choice, Kenji. I will return to you later. If you are still confused, then perhaps the deaths of more will suffice in making your decision. Until then, little one."

With those last words, Slayer turned around, shot into the air and disappeared. The trio landed on the ground, but there was nothing that could be done. The entire town was completely destroyed. All that was left behind were broken building and shattered rubble. There were no sign of survivors. _None at all._

"We can't stay here." Dead said after a moment of silence. "OZ will come looking. We better go."

=================================

_Unknown_

A streak of blue energy soared over the skies above a small town. Falling into shrubbery nearby, the light energy dematerialized into the form of Heero Yuy. His clothes were absent from his body with the exception of his pants, which was more than enough for the gundam tekkaman. Looking out of the shrubbery, Heero saw the movement of OZ forces entering the town. Their intention seemed non-violent, but he didn't go for it for a second. He knew that the so-called peace was just a way for Romefeller to gain control of the world. And on top of that was their queen, Relenea. She was just a figurehead in this; used by Romefeller to gain control over the populace. Heero had to stop this before it grew too powerful. And there was only one way to do it.

_'Relena...Omae no korosu...'_

--------------------------

Natasha and Goliate head for Natasha's isolated mansion home, only to find the stay short when her father, the former general P finds her as well. As he tries to convince his daughter to work with OZ, a Radham attack causes her to spring into action. Duo discovers that Quatre has returned to space and heads out to meet him. Also, the White Fang begins to move throughout the colonies, strengthening itself as well. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Homecoming.


	49. Homecoming

Disclaimer: See chapter one

_AN: Sorry this took so long to unloaad. I was trying to get used to the new formatting _

Chap. 49

_Isolated area…_

"Samuel?"

Natasha and Goliate entered inside a small mansion house that she owned. After the retreat from the Command Center, the two of them split off from the others and come here in order to regroup themselves and pick up some supplies. This place was pretty much hidden away, so they could settle there for a while. Natasha looked around and soon spotted the butler of the house, Samuel. He was a slightly thin, elderly man with a gentlemanly suit. He was currently coming out from one of many rooms on the side.

"Here, ma'am. I have anticipated your arrival here, so I took the liberty of procuring these for you."

The servant moved his hand to the side to reveal a pile of supplies and equipment in the side room he had came from. Both knights peered in and blinked in surprise.

"Talk about moving ahead of time." Goliate noted with a whistle.

Natasha turned to him with a small smile, "You are a life saver."

Samuel nodded, "Will you both be leaving right away?"

"No. We're going to rest a bit before moving on."

"Very well. I shall prepare a meal for you then."

Natasha nodded once again. Samuel had been the caretaker of the house for several years and one of her closest friends as well. He had managed to survive the First Radham war and had come to take care of her when she was younger. Due to her father's time in the military, Samuel watched her until she was of age. In some ways, he was more her father than her real father was.

"Thank…"

The compliment was never completed, for a low rumbling sound cut off Natasha. The looser materials around them rattled and shook as the sounds increased.

"Oh great. Now what?" Goliate grumbled.

The two knights dashed back outside to witness the cause of the disturbance. A team of Sol-Tekkas swooped in from the woods and lined up in front of the doorway. Natasha glared as a car rolled up as well from the road and stopped in between the machines. The door opened and out stepped a broad man with a gray beard. His demeanor was stern and unrelenting, much to Natasha's dismay.

"Father…"

* * *

_Colony L2_

"Duo."

Duo jumped out of his daze and looked up at Hilde, who had just walked in the door. "Hm? Ah, sorry!" he replied as he grabbed the papers before they spilled on the floor. "I've finished organizing this."

The girl gave him a sad glance, noting his strange behavior, "You're concerned about that guy, aren't you?"

Duo nodded, knowing that she was talking about Trowa. "Yeah. Seeing him like that... And then, what's going to become of the Colonies from now on?" He shook his head lightly, "I've been thinking of a lot of different stuff..."

"What are you talking like that for?"

The youth blinked again, "Huh?"

She stared over at him, "You're going down the road you believe in, right? That should be enough."

Duo went into thoughtful mode again and then nodded, "Yeah, you're right." Shaking his head, he looked back at the papers before him. "Well, let's get some work done."

Hilde nodded as well and looked into the papers she held, "Oh, there's some new work. Mobile Suit engineers wanted at a resource satellite." She suddenly stopped and blinked, "Huh?"

"What is it, Hilde?"

"This resource satellite belongs to the Winner family."

"The Winner family?"

Hilde nodded in answer, "I'd heard that all work had been suspended since the family head was killed, but..."

Duo gave a thoughtful smile, "It looks like Master Quatre has returned."

* * *

_Outer Space…_

"That's a tekkaman! A gundam!!!!"

The Sol-Tekka was soon ripped to shreds as the crystal hawk died away, revealing the battle-driven Tekkaman Altron. He had just destroyed both an OZ force and a White Fang group, both of whom had been fighting each other until the arrival of the gundam and attacked them both. Altron's breathed heavily, but he was far from finished

"Weaklings! The weak shouldn't fight!"

"You haven't changed, Chang Wufei."

Altron turned around to face a single white Taurus Sol-Tekka. He made ready to fight, but stood down when he saw that it wasn't armed. However, he did recognize the voice.

"I remember you. Lake Victoria. You're that woman."

Noin nodded within her machine, "Lucrezia Noin is my name. Despite that time though, it is a small thing compared with the vastness of space."

Altron retook note of her lack of weapons, "Obviously you didn't come here to fight."

"No. I need to borrow your strength, Wufei. Yours and the other gundams. In order to build peace, I need strength. Surely, you can understand that. Will you help me?"

Altron wasn't stupid however, "Is this about the Sank Kingdom? That place had been destroyed, has it not?"

"True. But the ideas and dreams remain alive. I want to keep that alive."

Altron mocked, "That's sounds like something a woman would say. Either way, I have my own path. I take orders from no one."

Before Noin could respond, Altron glowed and suddenly shot off through the stars; looking for his next targets and leaving Noin short one tekkaman.

* * *

Natasha stood by the window, arms folded while her father stood behind her. The fiery-haired woman kept her eyes glued outward. 

"So, what do you want this time?"

"The same as always, what's best for you Natasha." he answered.

Natasha's eyes narrowed, "I find that hard to believe, considering you practically disowned me."

"Hardly. You left me, remember." the general retorted. "Going with the Space Knights, no less. Imagine that, the daughter of a military general going off with a bunch of renegades."

She began to grit her teeth, tired of hearing the same old argument about her father's so called embarrassment. "Is there something you wanted?"

"I want you to do the right thing." the general responded. Moving up behind her, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come and join OZ. Your HQ has already aligned with it."

Natasha closed her eyes, trying to dispel the thought of her father's imposing image. Her hands tightened into fists and she answered firmly.

"No."

His hand snapped away and he nearly roared, "Damn it. Why do you continue to defy me? I am your father!"

Natasha was near ready to retort in kind when one of the soldiers entered into the room, "Sir. Radham forces have been detected approaching the area."

"What? Here?" The general quickly left the room and looked outside. True enough, a group of Raham tekkamen warped into view.

"Call in all the nearest units." he ordered immediately.

"Yes sir."

As the soldier ran out to do his duty, Natasha walked out of the room and past him. Seeing this, the general questioned. "Natasha. Where are you…?"

"Your forces won't get here in time." Natasha replied, cutting him off. "And the Sol-Tekkas you have now isn't enough." Looking over at her support pilot, she beckoned, "Goliate, let's go."

"Natasha!"

Natasha didn't even turn to him as she at Goliate walked out the door, "We're going. If you want to stop us, go ahead and shoot us." Her last words came out coldly.

"It wouldn't be the first time."

* * *

_Space Knight Command Center_

"Proximity alert. All crews to their stations immediately."

The entire center erupted with commotion as the knights and soldiers ran to their places. In the control room, Dontello sat in his station as Aki arrived inside.

"What's the emergency?" she asked.

Dontello looked at her briefly before looking up at the screen, "A Radham force had warped nearby and are heading this way." Looking at the soldier seated in front of the monitor, "Initiate the Doll program and send them out."

The soldier nodded and pressed a series of keys. Outside, a hatch opened on the side of the HQ and a squad of Virgo Dolls flew out and toward the advancing force. As the machines flew into battle, Aki watched the scene intently. Then, for just a moment, her tekka-set flashed.

_'Something is wrong here.'_

* * *

A group of six Radham tekkamen soared over the forest ground in search of their target. They were to target the now dispersed Space Knights that were scattered all over the world. Currently, Vesna. But unfortunately for them, their current target…was targeting them. 

"Yaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!"

Vesna, aboard Gamma, swooped straight at the advancing Radham, much to their surprise. Lancer in hand, the tekkaman jumped off the starjet and attacked. The lead Radham charged in as well, with his own lancer out and forward. The two met in mid-air with a violent clash and Vesna powered out and stabbed inward, catching into the creature's armored side. The tekkaman gave a gargle of pain, but was cut short when Vesna sliced upward, cutting it in half. The Radham began to surround her and Vesna stood ready.

**_Pzzzzzzzhhhhhhhh_****_!!! Pzzzzzzzzhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!_**

Vesna caught sound of laser fire coming from behind. Turning to it, she saw the Sol-Tekkas below were firing on them. Vesna shot out of the way of the fire while the remaining Radham looked down at the source of the fire and swooped down. Vesna latched onto Gamma and dove downward in pursuit as the Sol-Tekkas below continued to fire on them, but without success as the Radham out-maneuvered the blasts. Vesna managed to catch up to one and she jumped off and tackled one off its glider. The two bodies hit the ground beneath the trees where they both began to rise. The Radham moved first, swing with an overhead slash. Vesna blocked in and locked the blades tight. As they struggled, she ignited her boosters and sent them soaring through the trees. Then in a sudden motion, she stopped while releasing the blade lock at the same time, causing the alien tekkaman to continue to fly and crash into the tree. It rose up in anger, but it didn't move any more than that as the female tekkaman charged and impaled the Radham against the tree.

"Guaahhhahahahah!!!!"

Vesna twisted the lancer and drove it to the side, ripping the creature in half and ending its existence. She was ready to return to the air when an explosion caught her attention. Dashing through the woods, she saw that the remaining three Radham were attacking the Sol-Tekka units. The Voltekka beams were causing them to scatter, effectively damaging the house.

_'Samuel!'_

Vesna was about the charge, but then thought up a better idea. Linking up her communicator, she spoke to Goliate, who had just flown overhead.

"Goliate. Draw them into the after you and come this way."

"Roger."

The starjet flew toward the building and fired on the Radham. As expected, the creatures took note of his attack and chased after him. While they followed, they continued to attack and Goliate weaved and maneuvered his ship out of the way.

"Come on."

Vesna was keeping track of him, waiting for Goliate to approach. With the Radham close on him, it would be a close one. She couldn't make any mistakes with this.

_'Closer…now!'___

She reacted just as Gamma soared just overhead. Her arm shot up and her energy wire shot up. On time, it hooked onto the underside of the ship and pulled her up. The momentum caused her to swing upward through the air and flip onto the top of Gamma, facing the Radham in behind. Now set, Vesna crossed her arms across her chest and began to electrify with energy. Her usual voltekka cells shimmered to life and soon several new cells opened up across her shoulders and upper arm. Bubbles of energy surrounded her and encircled her and she released her attack

"Pulse Voltekka!!!!"

Her voltekka beam fired along with the energy bubbles, resulting in an onslaught of energy. The main beam tore through two Radham in the center while the pulse beams impacted with the rest, causing them to explode with concessive force. Vesna then silenced the attack, but with great effort as a result. She slumped down on the top of the starjet, panting for air.

"Natasha. Are you alright?"

She turned her head to cockpit and nodded, "Yeah…Just a little…winded." She looked down below, "We better head back."

Gamma soared around in the sky and lowered down to the ground. The Sol-Tekka unit was in tatters, but many of them seem fine. Vesna jumped off and moved toward home. Her former home now... The rooftop and walls were littered with blast holes and fires. Beside the doorway, the figure of the elderly servant was leaning against the side. Vesna moved to him.

"Samuel. Are you alright?"

Samuel seemed a little shaken, but nodded, "Yes ma'am." His gaze moved up at the damaged house, "It would seem that I have much work to do."

Vesna smiled within at the joke, "Heh. That won't be necessary. In fact, I think you could use a vacation."

"As you wish."

The servant walked off and Vesna turned away to re-board Gamma, but not before she was called by the general from behind.

"Natasha."

Vesna stopped, but only briefly as she turned her head to the side.

"Father. I am a Space Knight. Nothing you can say will change that."

* * *

The battle was immediate. As soon as came within range, the Dolls attacked with intense pressure and force. The Radham were quickly slaughtered by the soulless machines and the Radham were being pushed back. Dontello watched the scene, much to his pleasure. The Dolls were performing perfectly, blasting the Radham before they could even come close. However, Aki was still disturbed. Something was very wrong. For starters, it didn't seem as if the Radham were trying to even reach to base. She knew well enough that if they did, they would have put up a much harder fight. It wouldn't have made a difference considering the Dolls abilities, but even so, it was still too easy. And she was still sensing a powerful mental wave. 

Then, 'he' showed up…

"Sir, an identified object has appeared."

The screen lit up, showing the scene of the battle. From out of the dust, a sole dark form emerged. A lean armored form…

_'Another tekkaman.'___

The colonel simply looked at the screen as the tekkaman simply strode onward, "Signal the Dolls to attack."

But the soldier called back, "I can't. The Doll controls aren't responding."

Dontello stood up, "What? Are they malfunctioning?"

"No. They just…aren't responding."

True enough; the tekkaman strode slowly through the immobile Dolls, his red crystal glowing steadily on his forehead.

"Send the reserve units to take it out."

On the secondary screen, manned Sol-Tekkas shot out over the ground and swooped toward the area.

"No. Pull them back immediately."

Dontello turned to her in anger, "If you continue with your outbursts Chief, I'll have you detained."

Aki glared silently at him and returned her attention to the monitors, watching the Sol-Tekkas approach the tekkaman.

_'Fool. And his men will pay the price.'_

The Sol-Tekka unit approached the advancing tekkaman, cannons armed for battle. But when they closed in, the lead Sol-Tekka was blasted and it exploded into rubble.

"What?!"

The other Sol-Tekka stopped in shock as well after seeing the source of the blast. It was from one of the Sol-Tekka Dolls. As they tried to recover from the shock, the other dolls soon turned on them and fired. The pilots were completely surprised and were son wiped out, all the while with the tekkaman simply standing their watching. In the control room, panic flew around everywhere.

"What's happening?" Dontello roared. "Why are the Dolls attacking them?"

"I don't know. There's an outside source controlling them." The soldier soon stopped and looked up at the screen. "Wait. The signal is coming from…him."

Dontello looked at the tekkaman and finally took note of the glowing crystal on his armored forehead. Aki simply stood in watch, her own tekkaset now glowing steadily as the assault finished on the remaining Sol-Tekkas. The Dolls then ceased firing and assembled in line, with the tekkaman in the center.

"I am Tekkaman Sliver, emissary of the Radham. Your weapons are useless against us and are now ours to command. Surrender to us or be destroyed."

* * *

_Quatre__ locates Trowa and tries to talk to him, but is cut off by Katherine who tells him to leave. But a battle near the colony causes Trowa to aid his friend. D-Boy and Noal continue their search and discover a key part in the creation of the gundams. Sliver advances upon the Space Knight HQ. Without the Space Knight tekkamen, the base is virtually defenseless against the dark tekkaman. Aki must convince the OZ commander to relinquish Pegasus before Sliver destroys them all. And a fourth dark tekkaman is soon to awaken. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Trowa's return to the battlefield_


	50. Trowa's Return to the Battlefield

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

_AN: Sorry for the long delay. Writer's block can be a real hassle._

Chap. 50

_Space Knights Command Center_

"Surrender to us or be destroyed."

Tekkaman Sliver stood in the midst of the battle-ravaged field, accompanied by a group Virgo Sol-Tekka dolls, all now under his control. Inside the Command Center, workers were moving franticly to find out what happened, with an angered colonel above them.

"Can we disconnect the signal he's using on the Dolls?"

"Negative, sir." the soldier responded. "We don't even know how it's being transmitted."

"You better find out then!" Dontello roared. "Without the Dolls, we are defenseless."

Just below him, Aki stood impassively watching the scene, "It doesn't matter. Even with the Dolls, they would be no match for a tekkaman like that."

The OZ commander ignored her completely, "Can we call in for reinforcements?"

"Negative. The same signal that's controlling the Dolls is also jamming our communications."

"What about here? Do we have any reserve forces?"

The soldier blinked in surprise, "Yes, but…"

"Send them all out."

"Sir?"

"You heard me." he barked back.

"That's crazy." Aki intervened. "You're sending them out to get killed."

Dontello finally decided to hear her. _Hear, but not listen._ "Hardly. The number of forces will overwhelm him and take him down."

"That won't work." she refuted. More than anyone, Aki knew the power of a tekkaman like that. Even if somehow they had gotten past the dolls, the tekkaman will simply finish them off.

"You have a better idea, Chief?"

"Relinquish Pegasus." she answered. "Let me fight with them. At least your men will have a chance with me there."

"Ha!" the colonel laughed. "You'd like that wouldn't you? The Space Knights save OZ's hide, is that it?" He sat back in his seat, "Forget it. We don't need your kind of help."

"Your men will be killed!" She couldn't believe this man's pride and stubbornness in this. Even he should be able to see that this was a bad situation. There was no time for such foolishness.

"Silence! Send out the units at once."

The command was relay and the side screens showed the Sol-Tekka pilots suiting up. Aki watched this with sobering pity.

_'They're all going to die.'_

* * *

_Circus_

Outside the massive tent, Trowa out from within the folds, holding a bucket of food. He moved to the cages where several animals awaited. The lion nearby growled after seeing him with the food, causing him to smile a bit as he approached.

"I know. Hang on, I'll get to you." Trowa bent down to pour in the food when he heard his name called from behind.

"Trowa…Trowa!"

Trowa turned from the animal to see a blond-haired young man standing behind him. The youth's eyes were wide with joy.

"It is you, Trowa!"

Trowa's eyes gazed over him briefly before asking, "Who are you? Do you know me?"

Quatre blinked in confusion, "Trowa…Don't you recognize me?"

"Trowa! Go inside."

Both of them turned to see Catherine standing by the tent, holding the cloth open. She was glaring openly at Quatre, though Trowa didn't understand why.

"But, sis..."

Quatre blinked in surprise, " Sis?"

"Just do it!" Catherine shot at him. But after seeing his soon-to-be distressed face, her expression softened. "I'll feed the animals, so you go help the ringmaster, okay?"

Trowa looked at her and then at Quatre for a moment before rising up and entering the tent. Quatre moved from behind, but Catherine stepped in front of his path.

"Wait!"

Her angry glare returned. "What did you come here for?! You plan to take Trowa away to the battlefield again?!"

The blond-haired Arabian looked at her with a mix of frustration and confusion. "Who are you?"

"Trowa is my little brother." she answered. "He's part of our family here."

Quatre was stunned by this proclamation, "But, he-"

Catherine didn't let him even start, "I don't want to let him suffer any more. He lost his memory. And his past is so painful. I don't want him to remember that!"

Quatre took in the full scope of her words with a train of guilt slamming into him. Sadly, he lowered his head, "It's…it's my fault. I'm sorry. Trowa sacrificed himself to make right my mistake." His fist clenched, "It's not something I can be forgiven for just by apologizing, but I am truly sorry."

Her fierce glance softened, but her voice remained firm, "If you really feel that way, then you should just leave him in peace. He doesn't need to fight anymore."

With that, Catherine stormed away, leaving a distraught Quatre behind.

"I'm sorry... Trowa..."

Unbeknownst to either Quatre or Catherine, Trowa had hidden himself on the side and had overheard their conversation. He examined Quatre until the boy turned to leave.

"Who is... that...?" Trowa thought aloud. Suddenly, Trowa felt a surge of pain rip into his head. He bent down and grabbed his head, trying to soothe the pain he felt. His tekka-set shimmered on his forehead briefly as the pain began to subside.

"I…I know him..."

* * *

_L4 colony_

D-Boy and Noal had remained in the L4 colony after Quatre's departure. Based on D intel, the group had once occupied a section of the colony, but it was unknown as to where or by whom. However thanks to Quatre, they were able to find out, mainly because Quatre was there when he became a gundam tekkaman. But that's another story. Anyway, they discovered that there was a building complex that had been abandoned some time ago, right after the gundams left for Earth (again, another story). I wasn't a lot to go on, but they had nothing else. Upon finding it however, they knew that they had hit something here.

"Looks like there was a lot of equipment here." Noal noted after seeing the surroundings, "Whoever was here sure moved it out in a hurry."

D examined the area as well and pushed open a door, revealing a couple of computer terminals.

"Not fast enough apparently. Let's check them out."

The two of them switched the computer on and began to search for anything that might have anything to do with the gundams or the scientists that created them. After browsing a few moments...

"Hey, D. Look at this." Noal called. D stopped from his search and moved over to Noal's terminal. On it were displays of colonies nearest to Earth as well as the Space Ring. As the screens flashed on…

"Operation Meteor. No…" Noal gasped as he saw realized the full scope of what he was seeing. "Were they insane? To even think about using a plan like this?!"

"We better download this now." D grabbed one of the nearby disks and inserted it inside the computer. As the download completed D-Boy added, "Information like this wouldn't be just left out in the open like this."

"You're quite right."

The two quickly wheeled around to see a group of men standing in front of the doorway, holding rifles and guns on them. A grey-haired man stood up in front, holding a gun himself.

"I don't think we've been introduced." Noal said.

The man answered with a half-sneer, "I already know who you are, Noal. I'm not sure how you managed to escape, but that doesn't matter now." His focus then turned to D, "And the ever elusive D-Boy. A real pleasure."

"Who are you?"

"Quinze." His eyes moved to the computer screen for a moment, "I'm one of the creators of Operation Meteor."

"You have to have been insane to come up with something like that."

"Earth needs a lesson, a lesson that we will still provide."

Waving his finger, Quinze motioned the soldiers to surround the two Space Knights. At the same time, he grabbed the disk from Noal's hand and placed it in his jacket pocket.

"What about the Radham?" Noal questioned. "Countless lives will be lost if Earth is ravaged the way you intend and the Radham will be there to pick off what is left."

"The colonies suffered just as much horrors during the First Radham War. We suffered while Earth for the most part, remained unscathed. And then afterward, we were oppressed further by Earth, treated as underlings for their Alliance and then OZ. Now is the time for Earth to suffer." He raised his gun, "And you two are in the way of that."

Suddenly an explosion ripped across from somewhere, catching their attention. Using the distraction, D-Boy and Noal quickly shoved the capturers aside and dashed for the exit. One of them raised his gun to fire, but Quinze held him off.

"Let them go." He held the disk up, "Without this, they can't know the true extent of project M. Besides, we have other thing to worry about."

Outside, D and Noal had cleared the complex and was well outside. They slowed down when they had reached a considerable distance.

"Well, that was close." Noal sighed aloud. Looking back, "Where'd that explosion come from?"

"Yours truly, of course."

The two men turned to the direction of the voice to see the long braided gundam sitting on the branch of a tree.

"Duo." D muttered.

The boy grinned and jumped down, "You're lucky I tagged along."

"You followed us?"

Duo shrugged, "Yeah, well Quatre told me what you guys were up to, so I figured I'd see for myself. Good thing too. I saw them come in some time after you did and I guessed it wasn't for a social call."

D looked back at the complex, "The system will most likely be deleted now. That disk had everything we needed."

"Good thing we still have it."

Now D was surprised, "Huh?"

Noal reached into his back and produced the disk, "The hand is quicker than the eye."

D-Boy took hold of the disk, "Now to discover what this Operation Meteor is all about."

Duo folded his arms, "I could have told that."

"So could have Quatre." D retorted. "But there's more to Operation Meteor than even you gundams know." Looking down at the disk…

"And this may hold the key."

* * *

_Command Center_

The hatch on the base of the Command Center opened and a large squadron of Sol-Tekkas swarmed out. Sliver's eyes glowed as he saw the approaching Sol-Tekkas and a dark smile formed beneath the armored head. _'Come, my little lambs. Come to the slaughter!'_ The Sol-Tekkas soon got into range and fired on the lone tekkaman, with their disruptors active. But Sliver made no move to avoid the blasts as they bounced harmlessly off his armor. Regardless of the futile effort, the OZ soldiers continued to fire. Sliver slowly walked through the shower of energy and lifted his hand. At that moment, the dolls sprung to life and fired back on them. The Sol-Tekkas were forced to retreat from the fire, but the dolls made no move to pursue.

"Huh? It doesn't even look like they're trying to hit us."

"That's right. Their job is to distract. The prize is mine."

Sliver suddenly dashed forward and stabber into the lead Sol-Tekka. The pilot inside could only gasp in shock as he realized that he had been stabbed through. Tossing it away, Sliver strode over to the next one and the next, repeating his actions slowly and deliberately. Aki saw what he was doing. While the Sol-Tekkas were grounded by the energy beams of the Dolls, the dark tekkaman could easy walk up to them and pick them off.

"Our forces are grounded sir. We're being picked off. Instructions, sir? Sir?!"

Dontello was frozen in his seat, shocked at what was transpiring before his eyes. _'No…It just…one tekkaman…how can…he be doing this?'_

Aki wheeled on the stunned commander, "Dontello!"

"I…can't…I don't…"

Aki shook her head and turned to the soldier up front, "Where is Pegasus docked?" The soldier blinked and began to turn to the colonel for affirmation, but was cut off by Aki's voice. "Now, before it's too late!"

"Uh, docking bay 20."

Wasting no time, Aki left the Command room and dashed for the bay. Wreckage was littered all around her, a sign that Sliver was coming closer. Going around debris and injured bodies, she finally reached the docking bay. Several engineers saw her entering, but she looked past them, searching for her tekkabot. It didn't take long. It was settled right to the right of the bay. That was the good news. The bad news was that it was settled in pieces.

"What happened?"

One of the engineers answered, "The colonel wanted a detailed analysis of Pegasus systems, so…"

_'Damn!'_ Aki didn't even stay to listen to the rest of the explanation. Without Pegasus, their chances had just dropped. She wouldn't be able to transform now.

_At least, not safely…___

'I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this.' she thought grimly and she moved toward the exit. Looking outside, she saw the last of Dontello's forces fighting desperately just to stay alive. Aki raised her hand high and a red crystal materialized. The crystal opened up and glowed brightly.

"Tek-Setta!!!!!"

* * *

_Circus_

Trowa and Catherine were both finished dressing for their act when the ringmaster entered in, telling them that they were the next act up.

"Catherine, Trowa! The house is packed! Good luck today!"

Catherine nodded and smiled, "Leave it to us! We'll show you a performance that the customers will remember all their lives, right, Trowa?" He turned to Trowa, who didn't answer, but seemed to be staring out into space.

"...Trowa?"

Trowa blinked out of it and looked at Catherine, "Huh? Oh yeah. We should go."

Meanwhile, just outside, Quatre stood looking inside the tent when a man approached him from the side. Quatre turned to face him, "What is it?"

The man responded, "Mr. Quatre, there are OZ and White Fang units engaged in combat and heading for this area. If nothing is done, it's possible that this colony will be caught in the middle."

Quatre frowned deeply at this news. "Why?!" he thought aloud. "When these people here only want to live quietly in peace?!"

At that very moment, true to the servant's words, the battle raged just over the colony. The White Fang, using Taurus Sol-Tekkas, were in a fierce fight with OZ's Dolls. The Dolls flew toward the colony to gain some space and fight back against the White Fang, who was being drawn in toward the colony as well.

"OZ scum!" one of the White Fang pilots yelled. "Bringing the fight to the colony!"

Despite this, the battle continued. The ferocity of the fight was so bad that many stray blasts impacted with the colony and caused it to rock. Inside, people panicked and ran for shelter. It was the same situation at the circus. People inside fled for the exits while the performers all tried to make sense of everything.

"Lead the customers' out." the ringmaster ordered. "Whoever's free is to take care of the animals!"

The performers did as ordered, escorting the people out. The ones closest to the cages began moving the animals in them before they went crazy. Among them, Catherine and Trowa were moving in the lions. Another explosion rocked the colony causing Catherine to nearly fall. But she caught her footing and wobbled to her feet. Looking up and the adjourning cages, she saw Trowa bent down on the floor as well.

"Trowa!"

Catherine quickly dashed over to Trowa, closing the cage along the way and she knelt next to him.

"Are you okay, Trowa? Trowa?"

Trowa shivered lightly and wrapped his arms around himself, I'm scared."

The older girl put her arms around him and held him close. "It's okay, it's okay." she said soothingly, "I'm here with you."

"Sister..."

"Trowa!"

The two of them looked up to see Quatre emerging from outside. Quatre found them and moved close just as the colony shook again.

"This place is dangerous! Hurry and get to safety."

Catherine half-stood to Quatre, "What's happening?"

"A group of Sol-Tekkas and Doll are fighting near the Colony."

Catherine frowned once more and yelled, "Why? We just want to live quietly in peace! How much must we sacrifice before they are satisfied?! I can't stand it anymore!" Her shoulders began to slump and she bent her head down. "I can't stand to lose any more loved ones." she said softly.

"Don't cry, Sis." Trowa said, consoling her this time. "I'll protect you."

"Trowa..."

Quatre silently watched the two of them with each other. Turning to the side, he addressed her, "I understand. I don't want to lose any one else either." Looking at Trowa, "You-- you created my heart for me. So this time, I'll protect everyone." His crystal materialized into form and began glowing.

"That's what gundams were made for, right?" he said lastly before shooting up into the sky in a flash of light.

Outside, the fighting reached a new peak and the combatants were now practically on top of the colony. The OZ Dolls were gaining control of the fight and beginning to hammer in the White Fang. But that was until they caught sight of a streak of light that shot out of the colony and veered toward them. It was Quatre, or better yet, Tekkaman Sandrock!

"I won't let you hurt the colony any more!"

Lancers drawn, Sandrock raised them high and ripped through two of the dolls. Sandrock then rotated around and slashed through another doll nearby. The White Fang thought about joining the tekkaman in battle, but after seeing his destructive assault, decided it would be better if they retreated and leave the dolls to Sandrock. Which was a wise move considering Sandrock might have attacked them as well. Sandrock managed to bring down a considerable amount of dolls before he felt his strength waning. The dolls had already activated their crystal disruptors and were now affecting him. _'Guess this won't be as easy as I thought.'_ The dolls fired away on him and Sandrock shot out into space, diverting the fire away from the colony. But his reduced energy began to strain on him and slowed him down enough for the dolls to get a few hits on him, blasting him across his body.

"Guuuuuaaaaahhhhh!!!"

Inside the colony, Trowa stopped suddenly and looked upward. The animals were all locked up and loaded and the customers had all but disappeared from the tent. Catherine looked up from her work to see Trowa still in place. He then began walking away and outside.

"Trowa! Trowa, where are you going?"

"He's calling me." the youth whispered.

Catherine blinked and turned her head side to side, "Trowa. No one's calling you."

But Trowa shook his head, "I know it. I can hear him…sad."

Trowa continued to walk and Catherine dashed around in front. It was then that she got a full view of his face, or more importantly, his forehead and the tekkaset that shimmered upon it.

"No!" she screeched. "You've suffered so much already and you think you're going back to fight again?"

Trowa looked at her and saw tears threatening to leave her eyes. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he looked back up again, "Acting according to our feelings is the right way for humans to live, isn't it?"

A single tear finally broke out from her eyes, but she gave a light smile, "You're really going to go, aren't you. You idiot. You're just as stubborn as ever."

Trowa returned the smile as he looked down at her, "I promise I'll make it back alive, Sis."

Trowa released her shoulders and walked out of the tent folds. Catherine simply stood there and watched him leave, tears still trickling down her face.

"Trowa... You really are... such an idiot, you know?"

Outside the colony, Sandrock was a little worse for wear, but still fighting. Despite the armor damage to his body, he was still fighting as fiercely as ever. Ripping through another group of dolls, Sandrock turned around in space and saw the remaining dolls advancing on him.

"I've got to finish this!"

Suddenly, a small set of voltekka cells formed around Sandrock's hands, connecting to the lancer and causing them to glow in deep crimson. Sandrock shot at the dolls and gave one massive slash. The added energy increased the attack, allowing Sandrock to rip straight through several dolls in one strike. Then in a twirling action, he flung both lancers away.

"Hyyyaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!"

The spinning blades sliced through the dolls like a hot knife through butter; clean and with no resistance. The lancers continued to fly away until the Sandrock shot out his energy wires and caught hold of them. They returned to his hands as the last remaining dolls exploded into space dust. Breathing heavily, Sandrock looked over to make sure they were all gone and to his relief, they were. The White Fang Sol-Tekkas had disappeared, likely escaping during his assault. His head gem shimmered, causing the desert tekkaman to turn toward the colony. To his surprise, a shuttle was approaching him, holding a lost friend on board.

"Trowa..."

* * *

_Command Center_

Sliver continued his slow assault on the grounded Sol-Tekkas, casually striding to them one by one and striking them down. Every now and again, one of the soldiers would come up in an attempt to attack, but get shot down by the beams of the dolls. They were trapped and they knew it.

**_Fssssshhhhhhhhhhhh_******

Suddenly, a flash of red light zoomed overhead through the fire and straight at the dolls. The crouched soldiers soon heard the sounds of explosions and looked out to see for themselves. There, battling the dolls in full force was the Scarlet Tekkaman. She was clad in her usual armor and garbs, but her lancer was spiked somewhat like dark crystals. Also, her shoulders now sported voltekka cells. Sliver caught sight of her entrance and walked toward her. His walk soon became a jog, then run, then flight into the sky. Aki flew toward him as well and the two clashed in the sky.

"So there is a tekkaman left here after all." Sliver pulled back and stabbed forward, but Aki parried it to the side and brought it back to his face. Sliver's speed, however, saved him as he rolled to the side and avoided the slash. Aki wheeled around with a wide swipe and Sliver caught it in another block. The lancers remained locked as the two battled for supremacy and neither of them winning as they were pushed away by their own force.

"This may be better than I thought."

* * *

_Unknown_

"Awaken, Shrapnel."

A pulsating blob in the middle of a dark chamber soon stopped beating and suddenly erupted. A metallic figure flew out and smashed into the floor below. Slowly it arose, revealing a heavily armored figure. The creature stepped forward a bit before it knelt down.

"What is thy bidding, my master?"

* * *

_Aki battles in a grueling fight against Sliver, but how long can the former Space Knight commander hold out against the powerful tekkaman? Quatre, Noin and Trowa continue to work on rejoining the gundams. David and Natasha decide to head out into space, but encounter a possible resistance when an OZ group gets in their path which turns ugly when an invading Radhma force comes in as well. As the White Fang become more aggressive in their movements, on Earth, Relena moves to unify the world in peace. But Heero has decided that Relena is too much of a figurehead and seeks to kill her. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Drive for peace_


	51. Drive for Peace

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chap. 51

_Space Knight Command Center_

Shhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!

With a feral cry, Sliver charged at the Scarlet Tekkaman with his lancer at his side. Aki stood still, appearing to wait for the dark tekkaman to attack, but when he came in close enough, she shot up in the air in a flash and caught Sliver off guard. Her lancer ripped upward and would have taken off Sliver's head if he had not brought up his own lancer forth and caught the strike before it his. Sliver reeled around, his feet smashing into the ground and he looked up at his opponent, only to see her already coming at him.

"Yaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!"

Sliver was driven back as Aki clashed with him and the two slid back on the ground, Sliver feet ripping up the ground. Sliver was surprised. More than surprised. He expected to cripple the Space knights here and now. With news of their desertion, he thought that it would be a simple case of invade and conquer. But he didn't expect her to be so aggressive. And powerful. Apparently, the nickname 'Red Devil' did her justice. Or did it?

"You are strong Scarlet. But is this power or desperation?!"

Sliver pushed back, shoving Aki backward. Then his booster ignited and he charged at her full force. Aki was caught in the midsection and gasped as Sliver continued to push her, aiming for the side of the Command Center. Thinking quickly, Aki wrapped her arm around Sliver's neck and flared with red energy. Fiery wings emerged and Aki flew upward, taking Sliver with her. The crystal hawk soared high into the air and then descended sharply, tossing Sliver downward to the ground. The energy wings continued downward, heading straight for the downed tekkaman. But Sliver recovered enough to summon his own crystal hawk and flew up to meet Aki. The two energies clashed in a intense explosion, enough to tear up the ground below slightly. Nearby, the remaining Sol-Tekkas backed away to the base as they watched the fight. The light from the clash cleared and the tekkamen landed on the ground, seemingly unfazed by the collision. But Aki was in fact seriously stressed within.

_'No. I have to…keep going…Can't lose it…yet…'_

Aki charged again and Sliver did likewise

* * *

_L2 Colony_

Duo had finished packing his bag while Hilde watched from behind. After the incident with D-Boy and Noal, Duo managed to contact Quatre and Noin, who asked for him to join them again. Duo agreed, but went back to his home colony first to pick up a few items as well to tell Hilde that he would be leaving with the others and wanted her to watch the place. Hilde had been silent about it, knowing that he had to go and fight, but was worried nevertheless. Duo took this into account as he made his way to the door.

"Hey don't worry about it. It's just a little hangout with my friends. I'll be back before you know it."

Hilde gave a light nod, "Okay. Just…watch yourself out there."

Duo gave one of his grins, "I always do, babe."

Duo walked out toward the docking area with Hilde watching him from behind for as long as she could. Duo smiled within. He never really had anyone to return to before. That gave him a good feeling, despite everything that had happened. Seeing the shuttle up ahead, he put the thoughts aside and entered inside. Igniting the boosters, the shuttle flew off into space, with the gundam tekkaman of death rejoining his group.

* * *

_Earth orbit_

A single shuttle was flying up from Earth en route to the Space Ring. Aboard the ship were David and Anita, two of the Space Knights that had escaped the capture of the Command Center. After they had departed, the two of them were kept on the move since they were the only ones OZ had been able to trace. When Beta ship ran low on fuel, Anita managed to obtain a shuttle, but it was David's idea to head into space.

-

_"Why outer space?"___

_"I don't know. It just feels right, I guess. Besides, with all the chaos going on up there, we can hide easily. At least until we figure out what to do."_

_"Well, we can't go back to the __Command__Center__ and I'm getting tired of being chased around like this."_

_"So that's the plan. To outer space then."_

-

Okay, so it wasn't much of a plan now, but they had little else to do. At the very least, they could continue to fight the Radham, but by themselves?

"Which colony?"

"Huh?"

Anita looked over at David and repeated the question, "Which colony should we head to?"

David looked forward out the window, "You pick. It doesn't matter."

The woman however saw that something was on his mind, "What wrong? You seem to be a million miles away."

David sighed, "I don't know. I just wished we could have done something back at the Command Center besides up and running."

"Well, the Chief did order us. Besides, you know what she was doing. Following Relena's example was the best call at the time. She just didn't want us getting captured and used by Romefeller."

"I know. It's just feels…unusual. But hey, what do I know?" He sat back in his seat and folded his hands behind his head. "I'm just a blond airheaded playboy."

"Oh please." Anita scoffed lightly. "That may work on the others, but not me. You're a lot deeper than that, David."

"Heh. Hard to believe we haven't hooked up yet." he joked.

Anita smiled as she shook her head. "Not really. I'm not some…"

The shuttle's warning signal flashed up, alerting the two of them into attention. Checking the radar, they found a squad of Sol-Tekka carriers flying right up from behind them.

"Five carriers?" Anita noted. "Isn't that a bit extreme just to capture two Space Knights?"

As if that wasn't bad enough, a spectrum of dark light flashed before them, forming a dark hole just above the Space Ring. David and Anita were now faced with a group of five Radham tekkaman in the front and OZ carriers behind, sandwiching them right in the middle.

"Still think this was a good idea?"

* * *

_Romefeller Foundation_

The board members of the Foundation were all seated in the meeting room discussing there present agendas to bring about peace on Earth. Duke Dermail was seated at one end of the table while Queen Relena sat at the opposite end. While they converse, Relena found herself deep in thought.

_'Romefeller can take away my freedom. They may even take away my life. But as it stands, Romefeller will use me to continue this war. There must be something I can do.'_

"Queen Relena."

Relena suddenly blinked upon hearing her name. Looking up, she saw that one of the members had indeed addressed her.

"I hear that you have your own proposal for peace."

Relena shut her eyes as she arose. Perhaps this is what she was waiting for? Time to find out. Her eyes opened…

"Yes. There are still tensions worldwide with many nations still distrustful of Romefeller. I believe there is a way to deal with that."

"How so?"

She turned to the one that asked, "By lowering and removing all weapons that have been said to have been stationed for peace." The shock in Dermail's face was evident, but Relena continued, "That way, we can clearly state our message of peace to the world."

"I have to object." Dermail yelled, almost. "That is a purely idealistic plan. Have you even thought about the rebel forces worldwide as well as the Radham that remains a constant threat?

Relena remained calm, "The Radham are dangerous, true. That's the purpose of the Space Knights, to deal with those threats. As for the others, the threat is Romefeller." She lifted her arm in gesture, "When a person wants to ask for peace, naturally they must be the first to lower their weapons."

Dermail frowned, "Queen Relena. That is not how we do things here in the Romefeller foundation."

"Considering that the Foundation is striving for peace, the time has come for Romefeller to make some changes." Relena countered.

"There is no reason to change any of our policies or ways."

"That may be your own opinions, Dermail." Her gaze shifted to all the others, "Or are they the thoughts shared by the Foundation as a whole?"

Dermail smugly folded his finger together on the table, "I fully believe that I am speaking for the Foundation in its entirety."

"And is he speaking for you gentlemen?"

"No. We haven't come to a consensus yet on these matters."

Shock again, "What?"

"I must agree as well."

Dermail jumped up from his seat and roared, "Are you saying that a few words from this child should change Romefeller!"

Relena's eyes narrowed and everyone in audience stared at Dermail. Dermail looked around, seeing that his compatriots were no longer on his side. Relaxing before things got out of control, Dermail seated himself down.

"My apologizes. I'm afraid I let my emotions get the better of me. I'm just pointing out the potential risk in weighing our decisions solely on the ideas of Queen Relena."

"These are not matters to take lightly, so we'll adjourn and speak at the public gathering later on."

Relena gracefully bowed in acceptance and the group dispersed from the room. However, Dermail's gaze was on Relena, just realizing now the possible error he had made.

_One that may be too late for him to correct…_

* * *

_Command Center_

Aki and Sliver continued their fight, slashing across both the skies and the ground. Aki fought aggressively, attacking first whenever she could and keeping Sliver on the defensive. Despite this, they still fought evenly and Sliver's anger began to turn the tide.

"You think you can match with me!" Sliver roared as he shot upward and struck, hitting Aki's block. He then pulled his arm back and struck again. This time, Aki was unable to defend and her chest was slashed across. Aki returned the attack by striking Sliver's shoulder, but it wasn't as bad as his attack and only knocked him back. The two landed on the ground and faced off.

"Well, isn't that a fitting color for you." Sliver taunted at he noted Aki's now-bleeding chest. "Let's see if I can improve on that."

Meanwhile her wound pained Aki, but that was nothing compared to the drain of energy she felt. _'Crystal's draining me…I have to finish him…now or never.'_

Sliver charged again and Aki waited, ready to try the same technique as before and catch him off-guard again. Sliver closed in and Aki sprung up quickly. However, Sliver twirled off to the side and dodged her completely.

"Ha! Do you really think…?"

But Aki had hoped that he would avoid the charge and when he did, he left his side open. With the lancer's bottom end, she stabbed backward and caught Sliver right in the ribs.

"Guuuuuaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!"

As blood shot out, Aki reversed her charge and tackled him from behind, smashing him face-first into the ground. She then propelled herself back and stood a few steps away. But before she could do anything else, she suddenly dropped to the ground in fatigued pain.

_'Ahhhh….Not now….Just…another minute…'_

But it didn't seem that she would get that minute because Sliver arose from the dirt, damaged and extremely pissed. He gripped his lancer tight in anger and his Voltekka cells opened.

"Die, b$&)!"

Dark lightning began to cover over him and the cells charged. Aki looked up helplessly as he began his attack until a beam of light caught her view. It flashed out and hit Sliver in the back, causing him stumble and his Voltekka blast to fly just over Aki's head. Turning around, he saw that the blast had come from one of the Sol-Tekka's who had been watching the fight. Sliver watched as all the remaining soldiers rose up against him as well.

"You think you can do any good?" he crackled as he raised his lancer to them. The soldiers seemed to back off and Sliver laughed. "Ha! It's too late to be cowering now. You will all die!"

However, the soldier didn't back away because of him. They backed away because of what was occurring behind him. Aki had arisen fully from the ground and was crackling with energy of her own. Her Voltekka cells were shimmering brightly with energy and when Sliver realized what was going on, it was far too late.

**_"Voltekka!!!!!!!!"_****__**

An intense beam of red energy flashed out from the cells and smashed right into Sliver full force. Sliver wasn't even able to scream as he was overwhelmed by the power of Aki's voltekka. The beam continued onward across the landscape, ripping up the ground until Aki finally ceased firing the voltekka. The smoke cleared up and the only thing that was left was a wide trench ripping up alongside the Command Center and into the lake nearby. The dark tekkaman was nowhere to be seen. Aki remained in pose for a long minute before finally collapsing on the ground. As the fallen chief lay unconscious, the remaining Sol-Tekka pilots moved close to her and gently carried her back to base.

* * *

"Chief…"

"Quatre?"

Noin, Trowa and Quatre were hiding out in a shuttle within a destroyed colony. The three were waiting there for Duo to arrive when Quatre suddenly jerked and said Chief. The blond-haired youth looked up at Noin and answered.

"Something has happened to Chief Aki. I don't know what, but I know something's wrong."

Noin didn't dispute his claim, but there was nothing they could do at this point now. She simply stood beside Quatre and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Duo's coming." Trowa informed. From the cockpit window, they could see a lone shuttle approach them.

The shuttle docked and Duo entered inside with the others, "Okay, I'm here." he announced jovially. "So what's the plan?"

"We need to find the others." Noin proclaimed. "The White Fang are creating greater tensions here in space and that could cause more problems that can be dealt with."

"Is that the right thing to do?" Trowa asked. "After all, the White Fang claim to be fighting for the colonies. Would it really be in their best interest to fight against them?"

Noin folded her arms, "It's too early to say. But the gundams are needed together should things get rough. And don't forget, the Radham are still a threat. Those tekkamen that have been showing up will stress things on Earth."

They knew what she was talking about. Both Duo and Quatre had already faced the deadly tekkamen Shirken and Sliver. To top it of, they had heard about a third one on Earth that had been doing some damage.

"The Space Knights." Quatre said suddenly. The others turned to him in askance and Quatre repeated, "The Space Knights. We need their help too."

Duo sat in one of the seats, "But will they? They have always kept their mission solely on the Radham."

"I think given the circumstances they will." Noin replied. "Word is that all of them have been scattered when Romefeller took over their Command Center."

Quatre nodded, "Alright then. We'll look for Heero, Wufei and the Space Knights."

* * *

_Earth Orbit_

The Radham and the OZ forces battled with the shuttle trapped between them trying to escape. As it rolled and swerved around one of the beams hit the shuttle, causing it to spin uncontrollably. Anita managed to correct it but by the time she did, more crossfire beams hit them. The shuttle was hit heavily amid the rain of energy fire.

"We have to bail!"

The shuttle continued to take punishment until finally it exploded. But within the flame, a smaller object emerged from the fire and shot out into space. Beta…

"Now to really fly." Anita grinned as she pressed the pedal, causing the boosters to flare and the ship to rocket away from the battle. The combatants didn't seem to stop and they continued to fight on.

"They seem persistent in…what the?"

The Radham tekkamen suddenly circled around the OZ forces and attacked them from behind. The dolls were slow to turn around and a few were promptly destroyed. The remaining forces settled near the Space Ring section and held there ground there. This unfortunately brought the fight to the Space Ring itself. Inside, the people ran away in terror as the battle threatened the very integrity of the Ring. Overhead, David and Anita observed this in shock.

"They're going to battle there?" David gasped aloud.

"Those people…" Anita then blinked and looked back at David. "We're going in, aren't we?"

She really didn't need an answer to that, but he nodded anyway, "You read my mind."

The starjet's engines burst aflame and Beta spun around toward the Space Ring. David summoned his crystal and called forth its power.

"Tek-Setta!!!"

With the amazing power of his tekka-set crystal, which calls upon the universal forces of time and space, David is able to undergo an incredible transformation and is endowed with impenetrable armor...quantum energy weapons...and superhuman powers...transforming him into the Space Knight Tekkaman Sommer!

"Let's go!"

Sommer wheeled in the space and landed on top of Beta just as it zoomed off into the battle. Beta's laser weapon fired, clearing a path through the battlefield and stopping the combatants in their tracks. Sommer leapt off and hooked Beta while bringing his lancer across one of the enemy Radham. The alien creature was sliced in half while Sommer slid across and reeled himself back on Beta. The Radham tekkamen followed in pursuit, ignoring the Sol-Tekka Dolls behind them. Beams chased behind them, but Beta suddenly curved downward, toward the Earth. The Radham followed and continued to attack them while Beta suddenly began to slow down.

"Go for it, David!"

Sommer swiftly spun around with his back toward the Earth and leveled his lancer forward. His voltekka cells glowed brightly and two mechanical protrusions formed from his shoulders and connected with his lancer. The cells shimmered further, causing the protrusions to glow as well and form a ball of energy in the center. Finally Sommer shouted…

**_"Cannon Voltekka!!!!!!!!!"_****__**

The ball exploded into a massive beam of straight energy that rushed through the Radham and wiped them out totally. The beam suddenly intensified, still flying out into space almost ceaselessly. Fortunately, Sommer had positioned himself away from the Space Ring, so it was in no danger. However, it did push Beta downward toward the Earth forcefully. Anita fought to turn the ship upward, but wasn't doing to good.

"David! Shut it off!"

Sommer struggled with the still-growing beam and finally managed to break the blast and stop it. But Sommer himself staggered down and slipped off of the starjet. Above, OZ Sol-Tekkas saw the downed tekkaman and moved in close to retrieve him. However, Beta suddenly swooped in between them and when they looked in the spot where Sommer was, he was gone. As Beta made its way into space Sommer climbed up on top of Beta and held on.

"You alright David?" Anita asked from within.

"Yeah. Just a little winded." He managed to rise up. "I think I know how Yumi felt when she used the Reactor Voltekka."

"Well, let's get out of here before they decide to actually follow."

"Oh come on." Sommer smiled underneath his armor. "As I recall, speed is your thing."

"Got that right." Anita smiled back as Beta shot off and disappeared into space.

* * *

_Earth_

A lone star could be seen in the skies of the setting sun. However, it wasn't the morning star, due to the fact that it was growing every second. In fact, it was a blue energy wave that soared through the skies above the clouds. Gundam Tekkaman Wing Zero…

_'Relena…'_

He saw her as a figurehead that was bringing in a fake peace. Such an act would only cause more suffering and more conflict, with Romefeller hiding behind Relena in a mask of peace. A peace that would end if that figurehead was eliminated. That would mean…

_'Relena.__ You must be eliminated.'_

* * *

_Relena moves forward with her plans for peace, unaware that Heero plans to assassinate her. Wufei charges for the Lunar Base, but encounters the dark tekkaman Shirken in battle. D-Boy and Noal head for a distant colony where they discover the truth of the gundam tekkamen and the dark secret behind them. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Survivor of a Distant Past_


	52. Survivor of a Distant Past

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chap. 52

_Space_

"We probably have no choice, but to give up on Wufei." commented Duo as the group considered their next move. "He's going to do what he wants all on his own."

"Then you think we should head back to the earth for now?" Noin questioned.

"But Miss Noin, there are White Fang troops roaming the vicinity." Quatre pointed out. "It would be hard to get past them."

Duo yawned in his seat, "Don't you think we should do something to stop the White Fang?"

"If Miss Relena were here, she'd work out a peace plan with the colonies." Noin answered. "Negotiations with the White Fang can take place afterward."

"Right." Quatre agreed. But then he added. "But the White Fang is increasing its armaments, even though the people of the colonies shouldn't use them."

"And there's still the issue of the Space Knights." Trowa quietly added.

Noin moved over to the front, "So far, the only one we have a definite confirmation of is Tekkaman Sommer. A battle near earth revealed that he was in the middle of it just before taking off."

"So that leaves Yumi and Natasha. Not to mention Dead." Duo counted off. He then smiled, "Boy, are we going to be busy."

A beep suddenly caught all their attentions and Trowa looked at the panel to check it out.

"I'm receiving a transmission being broadcast into this area." His single eye soon roved over to Duo. "Someone's asking for Deathscythe."

Duo blinked, "Huh?" He then moved over to terminal where the screen was still in static. It soon cleared and revealed the face of a man wearing sunglasses and a bright-colored, vacation-style T-shirt.

"Hey Duo. Long time, no see."

"Howard? What the…? How the…?"

The man smiled, "Nice to see you again too, Duo. It's been awhile."

Duo shook his head, "I thought you were on Earth. What are you doing back in space?"

"Well there's a friend that wanted to see you and I thought I'd give her a ride."

"Her?"

The screen switched over, revealing an orange-haired girl, "Hey, Duo. Is that you?"

"Yumi?" Now he was confused. "What the heck?"

Yumi shrugged, "Don't look at me. We were just out in space when we ran into these guys. They offered to help us."

Quatre came over beside Duo, "Who else is with you?"

"Hayato and Dead. We're onboard the Peacemillion."

"The Peacemillion?"

Yumi smiled brightly, "You'll see. We'll be waiting for you guys."

The signal cut off and Duo moved over to the controls. "Well, that two down. Let's get a move on it."

Noin was a bit skeptical, "Are you sure?"

Duo waved, "Don't worry. Howard's an old friend of mine. If anything, this will be better for us."

_Blade…_

Quatre's eyes suddenly lifted up into the air and his tekka-set glimmered briefly, "Huh?"

"Quatre?"

Quatre looked at Noin in slight confusion, "I…I thought I'd heard someone call."

* * *

_Blade…_

The emerald tekka-set flashed on D-Boy's head and his eyes lifted up from the computer. Noal noticed this and turned to him.

"Hey D. Something up?"

D-Boy didn't say anything at first. But when Noal asked again, he looked back down.

"No. It's…nothing."

Noal gave him a skeptical glance, but said nothing and continued flying. D-Boy had already read into some of the data on the disk telling them of a location hidden somewhere around the destroyed Prague colony. The area though had been abandoned due to the increase of Radham now present, meaning they were now going into possible hostile territory.

Noal broke the silence, "So what exactly are we looking for?"

D-Boy shrugged, "Before Prague was destroyed, there was a report of a resource satellite in the area. It was never checked into because Prague was then destroyed and no thought was given to it."

"Go figure."

D-Boy looked down on the laptop, "Given the info here, I'm guessing it was a weapon facility. Possibly even a tekka-plant."

Noal looked over briefly, "For the gundams."

"That's the theory." D-Boy nodded.

"All right, we're here."

The shuttle flew silently into the designated area, revealing the obliterated colony. All that was truly left was one-third of the wrecked colony and that was mostly old debris. Both knights looked over at it as they passed, remembering that day. _Black September…_

"All these years and I still can't believe that this was done." Noal said quietly. "If it were Radham, that'd be one thing. But…"

Noal suddenly quieted and simply flew on. He had done all that he could at the time. There wasn't any reason to think that he could have done any more than that. But even so, Noal still felt he could have done something more.

"I'm picking up something." D-Boy said suddenly. Noal looked at the radar and saw a blip. Looking out the window, he saw a rock-mass floating just out ahead of them. The mass was mostly rock, with few points of technology on it.

"Strange." Noal commented. "Considering its size, we should have picked it up sooner. And the radar still having trouble holding it in sight."

"I think I know why." D-Boy answered. "That thing is made of gundamium ore."

"Guess that means we came to the right place." Noal grinned as he moved the shuttle in.

* * *

_Space Knight Command Center_

"Uhhh…"

Aki's eyes slowly opened to see a white plain in front of her. It took a moment for her vision to clear to realize that she was looking up at a ceiling. Blinking, she realized that she was in the medical ward in the command center. An OZ medic came in from the side and nodded to her.

"Good. You're awake."

"What happen…" she began. But her memory soon returned and she recalled the reason. _Tekkaman__ Sliver…_ She tried to rise from the bed, but a hum caught her attention and stopped her. Looking up in the corner, she saw a black crystal shimmering and blinking repeatedly in purple light. _A disrupter crystal?_ Looking off to the side, she also caught a glimpse of a guard just outside the door.

"What is the meaning of this?" Aki asked.

The medic answered simply, "The colonel has ordered that you be restrained for your actions."

Anger flashed in her eyes, "My actions?"

"Yes. You defied him by going out into battle. On top of that, you managed to transform without the tekkabot, something he was unaware that you could do. Therefore, until it is ascertained that you won't be a disruptive element, you will be confined here."

Very little made Aki truly angry nowadays, but this certainly did the job. She had gone out and saved the command center along with their lives and the colonel imprisons her in her own center because he is unsure he could control her? If not for the fatigue and injuries she's sustained, she would have marched up and throttled the life out of him.

"I truly am sorry." The medic said suddenly, causing her anger to subside somewhat. "You saved our lives at the near cost of your own. You don't deserve this." He turned to the door and prepared to leave, "But I have my orders."

He exited the door and Aki forced herself to rise. She moved to the door, but as she suspected, it didn't open. Taking a deep breath, she seated back on the bed and looked out the window. She could have escaped through there, but as long as the disrupter crystal was active, she wouldn't be able to transform as long as she was in range. She was trapped in her own command center.

_'Just what I don't need.'_

* * *

_Romefeller_

Relena was sitting in her private chambers, meditating on what to say in her speech at the general meeting when Dorothy soon burst in.

"Good news, Miss Relena. My grandfather's gone and left for outer space."

"So suddenly?"

"That means your greatest opposition won't be present at the general meeting." She turned slightly to the door and closed her eyes. "And the rest will be up to you."

"Duke Dermail has left, has he?" Relena repeated too herself. She figured that his absence wasn't coincidental, but to what his purpose was, was unclear to her.

"It's almost time to go Miss Relena." Dorothy replied, interrupting her thoughts. Looking at Relena, "To the parliament building."

Relena nodded and arose from her seat. Determination was set in her eyes as she realized what she had to do now. "Yes. Let's go."

Unknown to the two girls (or anyone else for that matter), and OZ soldier had been knocked out and dragged into n empty room. With him, a sole figure stripped him of his uniform and weapon. Raising the pistol up, Heero cocked the hammer of the gun. Determination was set in his eyes as he saw what he had to do now.

"It's time."

* * *

_Space Fortress Libra, in orbit of Lunar Base_

"That force is unnecessary in space!"

That was the cry given as Tekkaman Altron charged toward the space fortress. Lancer in hand, he soared in rage as he was confronted with Taurus Sol-Tekka Dolls. Without so much as skipping a beat, the dragon tekkaman slashed right across the first doll and quickly moved over to the next one, without hesitation.

"You can't stop me!"

More dolls came at him and attacked, but they could do little to stop the raging tekkaman as he chopped all opposition down. The disrupter crystals didn't even seem to slow him down and soon all that surrounded Altron was debris. Seeing the Lunar Base, he made ready to continue his assault when his tekka-set shimmer.

"Hm?"

A dark form had mysteriously appeared behind him, without his notice. Serrated blades were aligned on dark armored arms and Altron was now face to face with Tekkaman Shirken.

"Chang Wufei. You haven't changed."

Altron simply glared, "I don't know who you are or how you know me, but you best to stay out of my way."

Shirken seemed to smile as he raised his left arm across his body, "I'm afraid that's not going to happen!"

Shirken suddenly flicked his arm across, sending several spikes of energy at Altron. Altron quickly spun his lancer and deflected the energy spikes.

"I don't have time for weaklings now."

Sliver cocked his head, "I can assure you that I have much more than that. In fact, I can honestly say that you are the one that will die here. Prepare yourself!"

Sliver ignited into his crystal hawk and charged…

* * *

_Romefeller..._

The inside of the parliament building was huge. The people that lined up in the seats were so numerous that the added darkness made it seem as though the building was endless. The only light that shone in the auditorium was on the stage in front. And standing at the podium in the center, none other than Relena Peacecraft; queen of the world. Relena's eyes were shut as she prepared herself and they softly opened as she began her speech.

"Every one of you is a world leader. But in order to continue being the leaders of the world, the Romafeller foundation must undergo some changes, in the same way our times are currently changing."

Unknown to everyone, in one of the balconies above, Heero, dressed in the stolen OZ uniform, made ready his gun as Relena continued on.

"Why is their always confrontation? It's natural that when more is more than one person is involved, the second person will be a potential source of conflict. In order to eliminate this, we must become unified as one."

_'That's just idealism, Relena'_ Heero thought grimly. He lowered the gun and directed it straight at the stage; at Relena.

"I once again make a declaration." Relena went on, her voice raising. "In order to eliminate boundaries and become one peaceful, solidified nation, OZ, which holds the most power, must be the first to discard all of its weapons! When we talk of bringing the world together, we must not limit it to the Earth alone. It only takes two to start a conflict. Therefore, we must become one with the space colonies. The Earth must look to co-exist with outer space and outer space must look to co-exist with the Earth."

Heero paused, _'Earth and space co-exist?'_

"We must disarm OZ and appeal to the people in outer space. I ask each of you as world leaders to accept these changes."

Her speech over, Relena looked across the audience. The people were deathly silent and Relena could see no friendly faces in the crowd. Suddenly, she felt a pair of eyes upon her and her gaze switched upward into the dark balconies. It was there that she saw him. Heero Yuy training a gun right on her.

_'Heero…'_

* * *

_Resource Satellite_

With the shuttle docked in the bay, D-Boy and Noal quietly entered the satellite, wearing space suit. The place seemed to be up and running, but there was no sign of any life. The duo moved through the corridor and down the hall. Judging by the design and energy emplacements, the satellite appeared to be a massive laboratory. The two soon reach a door at the end and motioned to open it, but the door didn't move. Looking off to the side, Noal saw the panel and pulled it off in an attempt to hot wire it, per say.

"Give me a moment. It's been a while."

Noal continued to mess with the wiring until a spark flashed out and the door opened. The two then entered a dimly lit room. A massive hole greeted them above, leading into space. Also pieces of debris floated in the space around. Computers and other equipment were on, but with only minimal power. Noal looked around and with his headlights, he found the controls for the power generator. Switching it on, the lights came up brightly. Also, a hatch came up over the opening and sealed up. Gravity soon followed and the settled to the ground. After a minute, they removed their helmets when the oxygen indicator came up.

"If this is a tekkaplant, it's nothing I've ever seen before." Noal commented.

D-Boy simply moved over to one of the computer terminal and went to work. Noal shrugged and did the same, accessing the data in them.

"Quantum stabilization…energy flux levels…whoever did this were sure ahead of their time."

"Yes." D-Boy agreed. "This data is far older than even what we have. Older and more advanced."

"Hey, look at this." D-Boy stopped in his work and looked over at the monitor where Noal was. On the screen, there were displayed various armored figures. Aligned with them were different kinds of formulas.

"Gundamium armor." Noal spoke. "So this is where the gundams were created." His eye suddenly caught something that continued to flash on all the formulas. "What is this? Core material?"

He clicked on the flashing message. No sooner than he did there came a slight rumbling from behind them. Turning around, they saw a large cylinder seemed to lift up into the ceiling. It wasn't until it reached a certain level then they realized that the cylinder was actually a cover with a large clear chamber behind it. The chamber was filled with bubbling liquid and wires. But what really caught their attention was what the wires were attached to. Floating within the tube was a young woman. Light green hair swayed within the bubbling liquid and wires were attached to her nude body. Noal's eyes widened and his mouth was agape, but that was nothing compared to D-Boy, who was shocked stiff, managing to utter one word.

"Miyuki!"

* * *

_Miyuki, D-Boy's long lost sister, is alive, and with it comes more questions D-Boy wants answered. But an attack by the Radham caused him to put that on hold to save his sister. Romefeller now begins to move for peace, but the White Fang halt those efforts in space as they declare war on Earth. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: A New Leader_


	53. A New Leader

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chap. 53

"Miyuki!"

The utterance soon became an all-out cry as D-Boy rushed up to the glass chamber and proceeded to bash his fists against it. Noal had to pry D away from it before it started to crack.

"D, calm down!

D-Boy struggled in his now slipping grip, "Let me go!"

Noal continued to hold him, barely. "Stop it, D. You might do damage. We'll get her out, but not by cracking the glass and having her spill out on the floor."

D-Boy struggled a bit more before, but the words soon hit home and he settled down, nearly slumping to the floor. Noal released him and strode over to the terminal in front of the chamber.

"She's in some sort of status, but alive." he stated. He began reading over the log entries. "They've really done a number. Used her body in study to learn the secrets of the tekka-system."

D-Boy finally managed to come out of his despair and stand up. "How?" he whispered. "How is she…even still alive?"

Noal continued to look over the records, "It doesn't say. The furthest it goes is when she was brought in. It states that five scientists were the initial researchers and creators of the gundams."

D tentatively moved beside Noal, "Can we get her out of there?"

The blond knight turned an eye to him, "There's a way to turn off the status and bring her out, but I don't know. She might not wake up at all." He could practically feel D's frustration, "Hey, I'm not a doctor or…" A sudden rumble shook the satellite and D-Boy's forehead flashed with the symbol of his tekkaset crystal.

"What the…?" Noal checked the radar, confirming what D-Boy sensed. "Radham. Why do these guys always pick the worse possible moments to show up?"

Indeed, outside the satellite a swarm of Radham as well as Radham tekkamen were all flying toward them. Beam shot out and rattled the satellite further.

"We have to get her out now." D demanded.

Noal frowned as he got to work, "It will take some time before the status chamber shuts off properly. " Looking back at D-Boy, "Five minutes at least."

D-Boy nodded and began to move back to the airlock, "I'll buy you the time. Just get her out of here."

"Count on it."

With that acknowledgment, D-Boy quickly dashed back to the shuttlecraft. The satellite shook further, but that didn't stop him. Soon, he made it to the airlock and it was there that his crystal came into view in his hand.

"Tek-Setta!!!!!"

With the amazing power of his emerald tekka-set crystal, which calls on the universal forces of time and space, D-Boy undergoes his incredible transformation and is endowed with impenetrable armor, quantum energy weapons, and superhuman powers, transforming him into the legendary white tekkaman…

"Tekkaman Blade!!!!!!"

* * *

_Romefeller_

_'Heero…'_

_'Relena…'_

Unbeknownst to the audience, Relena was now staring down death, in the form of Heero Yuy with a gun trained on her. She initially began to wonder what he was doing here, but she would have been a fool not to realize it. As a figurehead for Romefeller, it would only be natural that Heero would come for her. It would seem that he intended to finish what he meant to do long ago. Lowering her eyes, she gazed down sadly.

_'Go ahead Heero. Do it.'_

As though he could hear her thoughts, he shut his eyes and began to squeeze the trigger. It didn't matter. She wouldn't move. She understood the position she was in. For Heero, this was the only logical course to take.

_Until the clapping began…_

Heero opened his eyes to the faint sound, only to hear it accompanied by several others. Soon the entire assembly was in applause and many of them even stood up to do so. Relena seemed surprised by this and looked at the audience. Even Dorothy was in applause, standing up from her seat up front. Several of the Romefeller leaders came up to the stage with smiles on their faces.

"Congratulations, Queen Relena. The Romefeller Foundation will adhere with your guidance and start anew."

Relena's gaze softened, "Thank you." It wasn't what she had expected and mentally, she thought she would have been happier now that Romefeller has decided to change for peace. But her gaze shifted back up to the dark balcony, but Heero had disappeared. Within the nearby area, the tekkaman in question strode away, giving one look back.

_'Okay Relena. Let's see what you can do.'_

He continued on until he was stopped by a sudden sensation. His tekka-set crystal had lit up briefly before fading away. Heero gave another look back, not understanding why but learning one thing.

_There's another tekkaman…_

* * *

_Lunar orbit…_

"Get out of my way!"

"Save your words! Show me your strength!"

Altron and Shirken continued their battle with a fervor not seen between tekkamen in a long time. Shirken charged at Altron, firing his energy dart all the while. Altron dashed back to dodge them and suddenly charged forward with his trident lancer. The lancer met with the bladed arms in a bright clash of power and force. But neither seemed affected by the shock and merely wheeled each other away to attack again. Altron growled. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wanted to get rid of the Lunar Base as well as the new battlestation. But this tekkaman was in his way. _'Who is he? How does her know me?'_ It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered right now was the fact that he was in the way.

Altron shot upward and a serpentine extension came up from his back. Beams of energy shot out of them, but Shirken nimbly evaded each and every one as he closed in. When he was close enough, Shirken flailed his arm, releasing another salvo of energy shards. But rather than avoid them, Altron dove right in, letting the shards rip up across his armor as he charged with a roar.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

Another clash, although this time, Shirken was forced back. With a shove, Altron push him back into space and charged again. But Shirken had had enough and ignited his crystal hawk form; flying up into the stars. But he wasn't retreating. Instead, he whirled around and came straight for Altron. From within the energy wing, shards of energy flew out. Altron whirled his lancer to deflect them, but could only put up a weak defense as the crystal hawk itself slammed into him.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!"

The energy past on, leaving a sizzling Altron behind. But the dragon gundam wasn't out yet and watched as the crystal hawk swooped back. He relinquished his lancer and put both his arms together. Energy cells formed and his arms changed into a form like the two heads of dragons. Energy built up in them as he raised his voltekka to the crystal hawk.

"Volt…!!!!!"

But suddenly, the crystal hawk swooped upward and away into space. Altron halted his attack in confusion until he felt a slight energy from behind. Turning around, he saw lights glitter from the battlestation, meaning only one thing. _Laser cannons!_

_Tzzzzzzhhhhhhhh!!!!! Tzzzzzzhhhhhhhh!!!!! Tzzzzzzhhhhhhhh!!!!! Tzzzzzzhhhhhhhh!!!!!_

Altron couldn't escape the rain of energy beam as it tore and blasted his armor and the space around him was filled with explosion.

_'I…will…not…die…now…!!!'_

Meanwhile within the battlestation, Quinze looked on and the laser cannon defeated the gundam tekkaman.

"We did it." One of the soldiers announced, "There's no trace of either of the gundams."

Quinze gave a simple mod, "It's strange. I thought the gundams fought for outer space, not against it. It doesn't make any sense them to be so hostile toward us."

From behind him, a dark form approached him, well hidden in the shadows, "That's because the gundams are now fighting for Earth, and Earth itself is the enemy of the colonies. You must declare war on the Earth."

Quinze turned to the mysterious figure, "We had hoped to purify space by getting rid of the OZ space force. A task force is on the way to deal with them as we speak."

The figure seemed to nod, but answered, "The actions of the White Fang still don't reflect the feelings of the colony citizens. This will be a perfect opportunity to motivate the hearts of the people."

The sentence was ended with a brief grin…

* * *

_Resource Satellite_

-"One minute until status shutdown."-

Noal waited while the computer went to work on the status chamber. Unfortunately for him, patience wasn't one of his better virtues. And what little he had was breaking down as the satellite rocked again.

"Come on." he said annoyed. He looked back into the chamber were Miyuki remained immobile. He then shook his head and turned his attention to the radar screen displaying the approaching enemy outside.

_'Get a move on it, Blade.'_

"Haaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Blade soared through the space with amazing speed, heading straight for the Radham horde. Halfway through, Blade burst into his crystal hawk form and tore through the Radham, incinerating all that was in his path. He then flew up into the sky and began to circle back, but he dispelled his energy, seeing that the Radham were too close to the satellite for him to risk using his crystal hawk. So he simply soared into the thick of the Radham and let his lancer go to work. Not a single slash was wasted and each cut severed and hacked a Radham or two into pieces. One of the Radham tekkamen approached him from behind while he was slashing, , but Blade noticed his approach and disconnected his lancer into two separate blades. With now a second weapon, Blade hurled it at the alien tekkaman, running him and the few behind him through. Blade then shot out his energy wire and hooked his weapon to in. But instead of bringing it back instantly, he flicked his arm and let the lancer sail through the open, slicing another Radham apart. A shriek caught his attention and Blade turned back forward to see a Radham right in his face. Reacting on instinct, Blade shot back and flicked the first half of his lancer. But he didn't release it. Rather, the sharp edges of the lancer detached and soared at the enemy, cutting it to ribbons. The triangular boomerangs then returned and hinged themselves back onto the lancer. At the same time, Blade brought the other lancer half back and reconnected the two into a single lancer. With most of the Radham gone, Blade looked for the remaining one.

_'What?'_

Near the satellite, a group of Radham tekkamen was all aligned and charging the voltekkas. Only they weren't targeting Blade. They were aiming for the satellite.

"No!"

Blade shot back toward the satellite and just managed to reach it. But he would be able to do much else since the charged attack was now complete and the Radham tekkamen all fired their deadly rays, at the satellite and Blade, creating on massive beam of energy.

_'No choice.'_

Blade hovered just before the satellite and opened his voltekka cells. But rather than charge them, he held them forward and awaited the incoming blast.

_'This is going to hurt.'_

The blast was about to make contact with Blade when the cells lit up. The blast stopped right on Blade, causing him to roar in pain. But he continued on, using the cells to divert the power of the voltekka beam away from the satellite. Not yet finished, Blade flew into the beam and allowed it to engulf him. But this also allowed him to control the massive power and Blade was heading straight for the source. _The Radham tekkamen._

**_"Rhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"_**

The alien tekkamen stood no chance against the onslaught of their own energy as they were incinerated by the blast. His work completed, Blade exited the energy stream and let it drift away into space. The white tekkaman sustain several injuries and his armor was torn apart, but other than that, he was alright. Until his tekka-set shimmered.

_'No!'_

From the far side area of the satellite, a second group of Radham tekkamen flew in. Like the group before, they were charging their voltekkas together for one big attack. Only this time, Blade wouldn't be able to stop them.

"NOOOO!!!!!!"

Blade rushed in to stop it, but he was too late as the massive beam flashed forth and ripped right into the satellite. Everything seemed to still and then the satellite exploded in several areas.

"Noal!!! Miyuki!!! **NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!**"

Blade clenched his fisted with a combination of sorrow, despair and rage. But just before the final explosion, an object shot out of the doomed satellite. It was the shuttle. That meant…

"Blade, I got her. Finish them off!"

Blade couldn't have agreed more and decided to charge his voltekka cells this time. The tekkamen all looked at they were suddenly engulfed with a wave of blue quantum energy and became no more. Blade was breathing heavily and propelled himself back to the shuttle where he stumbled out of the airlock, still in his armored form. Noal turned to him as Blade moved over to his still unconscious sister, who was laying down on a nearby flat with a blanket over her. Blade bent down and held her hand, slowly reverting back into his human form. D-Boy gave a small smile, but failed to realize how much he had been drained in the fight and pretty soon, he slumped down unconscious next to her. Noal shook his head in amusement and put the ship on a brief autopilot. He then grabbed a nearby blanket and tossed it over the naked young man, leaving him right were he was.

_'Ah, what can I say? I'm a sucker for family reunions.'_

* * *

_Peacemillion…_

"Quatre!"

The gundam group had just arrived on the majestic ship where they were greeting by the knights that were there. Mostly Yumi, who dashed at Quatre and embraced him.

"Getting sweet on the ladies, Q-man?" Duo joked.

Quatre gave a slight blush, "It's nice to see you again, Yumi."

Yumi let him go, blushing herself, "I'm sorry. It's just that the last time we saw you, you…well…I was worried."

Quatre nodded solemnly, knowing exactly what she was talking about. The Zero crystal… Nevertheless, he suppressed his downhearted mood and smiled, "I'm sorry to worry you. I'm alright now."

Howard soon entered the hanger as well with the others, "Nice to see you guys made it in one piece. With all the chaos going on out there, I was getting worried."

"It's that bad?" Hayato blinked.

"Just about." Howard answered. "The White Fang have been causing all kinds of tension. Not to mention that Radham attacks seemed to be increasing."

"We have to find the remaining gundams, as well as the Space Knights." Quatre replied.

"We're way ahead of you. We just located Tekkaman Sommer. He's residing somewhere within colony L4. I can get a shuttle prepped and ready to go within a few minutes."

"That's a big help, Howard." Quatre said gratefully. "Thanks."

"Howard." Duo interceded darkly. "I'm having a pretty hard time trying to figure you out, or what you plan to do with this battlestation."

Howard scratched the back of his head, "Actually, I'm not too sure about the ship myself…"

Duo's face dropped in disbelief, "You got to be kidding me."

Howard continued, "But as for the reason I'm helping you guys, it's to fulfill my obligation as someone who's been saved by the Space Knights. I even helped create the Tallgeese Sol-Tekka."

"Really?" Yumi exclaimed. "Incredible."

"Are you sure you haven't heard any word from Zechs?" Noin asked.

Howard shook his head. "Not since he went to Earth. He's not your average person, so I'm sure he's alive and well."

At that moment, one of the workers on the ship ran up to the group, "Howard. There's a broadcast coming in from the White Fang. I think it's a declaration of war."

"Just as I expected." Howard replied. "They're making their move."

The group moved over to the vid-screen where an image of Quinze was showing.

"The space colonies had hoped to self-govern itself in peace, but the Earth has ruled over us with its military power. This was true in the days of the Alliance and OZ and it is true now that the Earth has formed the World Nation. We had hoped to unify the people of outer space when the Earth attacked us with the gundams, using them as their pawns."

The screen switched to the fight Altron was in a moment ago when he came to attack the Libra, destroying the Sol-Tekka Dolls. Romefeller, who was watching the broadcast as well, were dumbfounded and appalled by the accusations.

"That's not true." Relena whispered

"That's absurd. It a lie." A representative agreed.

From elsewhere, Heero was watching the same broadcast. "They've been using you, Wufei."

Quinze continued, "As I speak, a large-scale attack force is heading out to destroy the OZ space force. Outer space belongs to us colony citizens."

At that moment in outer space, the OZ convoy was still en route toward Barge when twinkles of light appeared behind them. Within the lead ship, the alarm lit up and Duke Dermail rushed up to the cockpit.

"What's going on?"

The co-pilot checked the radar, "A troop of Sol-Tekka Dolls are coming in. White Fang!"

The sparkles of light soon began beams of energy that ripped across space and into the convoy. The last ships were torn apart and the objects soon flew in, revealing themselves as Taurus Dolls, equipped with quantum cannons. The mechanized Sol-Tekka launched an all out assault on the unsuspecting convoy, destroying ship by ship. The few remaining ships released their own Sol-Tekkas, but they were easily targeted and destroyed before they could do anything. As the massacre continued, the lead ship, with Dermail in it, tried to escape the onslaught

"Full speed. We'll escape into Barge."

"Too late!"

From the battle behind them, a trio of Taurus Sol-Tekkas broke off from the main group and flew past the ship. When they reached a distance, they wheeled around and aimed their cannons at the sole ship. The weapon began charging up, ready to destroy the helpless ship. Dermail was stunned by this development.

"No. Why must I die like this?"

The cannons fired a collective blast, annihilating the ship in a flash. The people in Romefeller saw this, most notable being Dorothy Catalona.

"Grandfather!" she cried. She then turned around and held her arms together. "No. I won't cry, dear grandfather, because in the end you died a heroic soldier in battle."

The transmission switched back to Quinze, "When the space colonies are unified, the only enemy left is the Earth. We have a righteous cause. And we have a new leader that will help us realize our goal."

"A new leader?" Relena replied in question.

The screen switched once again to a shadowed screen. A lone figure stood within it and the light began to drift over to him. "Earth and space. The two exist together and form a pattern of confrontation." His eyes opened, "My name is Millardo Peacecraft. I declare that we will eliminate the Earth, the force that conflicts with space."

"What?" Howard exclaimed. "No way!"

Noin was equally as shocked, "What are you saying Zechs?"

From Romefeller, Relena looked in dismay, "My own brother?"

"Oh, but why?" One of the Romefeller executives muttered, "Even Romefeller is making changes for peace."

From not far away, Heero stared at the screen. "So that's what the Epyon crystal showed you Zechs? So then, I will make the choice the Zero crystal revealed to me."

With that, he raised his hand and pointed with a gun-like gesture and his tekka-set shimmered brightly, both signs indicating what he now had to do now.

Meanwhile, from an unknown location, Trieze Khusrenda witnessed these events and made his way to the door. The time had now come…for him to return to the stage.

* * *

_Unknown…_

"Slayer, Shirken, Sliver, Sharpnel. Come before me

In the darkness, the four tekkamen appeared before their leader, kneeling down. Shirken was still partially damaged from his fight against Altron, but he remained as imposing as ever.

"The time has come to reveal ourselves to all. While the humans fight their pathetic war with one another, they have given us the opportunity to take all that they possess. And we will take it. Earth. The colonies. All of it."

Slayer, who was before the other three, spoke "We are your servants, my lord. Let your will be done."

* * *

_The war between the White Fang and Earth explodes as the two sides fight for control of outer space, but all are unaware of the looming shadow that threatens them all. Noin and the gundam go to the battlefield to talk to Zechs, but he fights against them as well. Yumi, Dead and Hayato go to the L4 colony to look for David and Anita, but are once again confronted by Tekkaman Slayer, who repeats her demand to Dead to join them, holding the colony hostage in the process. There, Dead makes a dramatic decision. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Devils and Dead_


	54. Devils and Dead

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chap. 54

_Space Fortress Barge_

"Enemy dolls have crossed the space minefield. ETA in two minutes."

The entire base was on alert. The White Fang had been battling against the OZ space force and were now on their way there. Because Barge was the greatest force for OZ in space, it was apparent they would be the prime target, for the victor would claim supremacy to outer space. To that end, both sides set their full forces for the battle that was to come.

"Taurus Dolls will be in defense formation in thirty seconds."

"Is the Barge cannon ready yet?" the OZ commander barked.

The officer answered, "Final connections are complete."

"All units assume phase three battle positions."

A red light went off and the commander ordered, "Send out every Doll and don't let the enemy get by. This is our last fortress in space and we can't afford to loose it now." To another officer, "The normal weapon won't work against the Virgo Doll. Equip them with laser cannons."

"They're not equipped for the additional output." the officer replied back. "They'd overheat in no time."

"It doesn't matter, just as long as it wipes out some of the dolls."

The first officer spoke up again, "Enemy mobile dolls will reach our first defense line in 10…9…8…7…6…5…" The tension grew immensely with each count as the soldiers watched the screen with anticipation.

"4…3…2…1. The battle has begun!"

True to her words, a trail of energy fire ripped across space, signs of the erupting battle. The OZ Taurus Dolls confronted the White Fang Virgo Dolls in an intense display of space-combat. The machine swarms blasted and crushed each other in this ultimate bid for supremacy. The Taurus held their own against the White Fang at first, but after awhile, one or two of them would explode due to the overuse of their quantum laser cannon. Plus the fact that the White Fang had both superior numbers and machines started to drive the OZ forces back against their fortress, the only thing that was keeping them in the fight. A distance away from the battlefield Colonel Serdeci and Milliardo Peacecraft watched the battle before them. Milliardo watched the battle passively while Serdeci gave out the orders.

"That's the way. Now keep applying pressure."

Milliardo gave a sigh and walked away. Serdeci noticed this and called out, "Commander Millardo, where are you going?" But Milliardo's only answer was a glow in his hand, materializing into his tekka-set crystal. Seeing this, Serdeci protested, "Wait, you're the chief commander of the White Fang, aren't ya? Just give out the orders and leave the fighting to the Dolls."

"You do just that." The crystal unfolded and Milliardo became engulfed in a flare of red energy. The glow flashed out of the ship and toward the battlefield. Serdeci could only watch as their leader flew off to join the fight.

"Commander Milliardo still thinks of himself as the Lightning Count."

* * *

_L4 Colony_

Yumi, Hayato and Dead were on small shuttle was flying toward the L4 colony. Attached to the lower part of the shuttle was Alpha ship, just in case of any problems. As the approached…

"I wonder how everyone else is doing?" Yumi wondered as she gazed out the window and into the stars. "Natasha, Goliate, Chief…"

Hayato answered from the pilot seat next to hers, "I wouldn't worry too much Yumi. We managed to take care of ourselves pretty well."

Yumi sighed lightly and then looked over at Dead, who sat behind them, "What do you think, Dead? Are you glad you're going to see David again?"

Dead simply closed his eyes and shrugged, "Not really sure."

"Well, if I were you, I would be really glad to see my best friend again after all this time." she smiled to him in return.

Dead detected her light-hearted remark and a ghost of a smile began to form, "Per…"

And that was when both his and Yumi's tekka-set crystals shimmered on their foreheads. Hayato saw and asked in worry, "Please let that be David."

His answer came right in front of the shuttle. Four dark figures stood between them and the colony. All tekkamen. And in the lead was none other than…

"It's playtime again, little one. I hope you don't mind, but I've brought some friends along as well, hehehe."

* * *

_Peacemillion _

Noin was heading for one of the spare shuttles that were onboard the Peacemillion. After hearing Milliardo's decree upon the Earth, she was determined to find out just what the heck he was thinking. She had a few guesses, but none of them really clicked. But she had to be sure. And there was only way to find out.

"Hang on a second please, Miss Noin." Quatre called as he came up behind her. Noin sighed, knowing Quatre's concern, which were well justified here. In order to reach Zechs, she would have to go to the battle at Barge, which was essentially dangerous. As she reached the shuttle, she turned to him and explained.

"I know you really don't want me to do this, but I have to meet with Zechs and talk to him in person. I'm positive that he has a good reason. He must be rebelling for the Sank Kingdom and Miss Relena."

Quatre moved beside her, leaning on the shuttle, "Still it's too dangerous for you to go out there alone. I'll come with you."

"Quatre…" In truth, she had hoped to go alone, but the risk was far too great. She may be one of the best Sol-Tekka pilots around, but she wouldn't last very long in such a heated battle alone. And she had to speak to Zechs. _'Guess it wouldn't hurt…"_

"There are a lot of civilian colonies near Barge." a new voice spoke out from above. Looking up, they saw the smiling face of Duo looking down from the top of the shuttle. "It shouldn't be too hard to approach the fortress unnoticed."

"Does this mean you're coming?" Quatre asked.

The braided youth nodded, "I want OZ and the White Fang to know that the great destroyer is back and he's back with a bang."

"Thanks a lot, Duo."

Duo then turned his head, "Catch all of that?"

"Huh?"

From beside Duo, Trowa walked in and looked down as well, "At the very least, I guess I can cover for you guys."

"Trowa!" Quatre said happily.

"Now that that's settled, let's get going." Duo replied, looking at Noin.

"Right."

* * *

_Earth, Space Ring elevator_

There was much activity as many were coming in from space to avoid the constant battles. In one of the elevators that led up to the Space Ring, Heero found himself one of the few people actually going into space. As the massive elevator took him up to the stars, he thought briefly about the huge turn of events that had occurred. Just when peace seemed to be on the horizon, another obstacle seemed to present itself. His eyes roved upward as the elevator began to leave the atmosphere.

_'My enemy is in space.'_

However, his thoughts were broken when a figure strode up to him and stood at the railing beside him.

"Are you Heero Yuy?"

Heero's turned a glance to see a tall, blond-haired woman standing next to him. His hand began to shift to his gun, which was hidden in his pants when she turned to him fully, lifting her hands in a non-aggressive manner.

"Now don't go firing on me. I just came to see you."

Heero paused, "Why?"

"Because I believe that the gundams are essential for this period of time. And I also believe that all the gundams can be trusted. That's why I came to help you." Her gaze shifted back out to the window, "You fight alone, I noticed. But it can grow to be very lonesome."

"I don't need your charity, Sally Po."

Sally smiled, not surprised that Heero knew who she was or her hidden agenda. "I'm aware of that. But won't you let me at least help you out a little?"

Heero simply looked at her silently, examining her. She knew a good amount about him, but not enough to where she should trust him. But she had said that the gundams could all be trusted. And he knew well enough about her that she was no fool. He knew this from the fact that he spotted several men through the others on the elevator that was in a specific order, guarding her position though the small crowd. _Her men, no doubt…_ Then his tekka-set crystal shimmered on his forehead, turning his attention outside. Sally gave him a strange look, but a sudden explosion caught her attention as a mini-black hole formed above and streaks shot out, materializing into Radham tekkamen. Heero saw this and looked back at Sally.

"Bring your ship in after I'm finished with these guys."

Heero's crystal materialized in his hand and he raised it up into the air.

"Zero…Tek-Setta!!!!!"

Heero exploded in a bolt of sapphire energy and shot out into space. Using the power of his crystal, which is a fusion combination of his original crystal and the powerful Zero crystal, Heero is now given enhanced gundamium armor, quantum energy weapon, and superhuman powers, transforming him into the Gundam Tekkaman Wing Zero.

_Zzzzzzzkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

Wing Zero completed his transformation, only to find another object approaching him from behind. He turned to see that it was a jet, with a briefly glowing object on top of it. It was Gamma ship with Tekkaman Vesna on top.

"Heero? Is that you?"

Wing Zero's eyes simply shimmered, revealing that it was indeed him, before turning around and diving into the fight.

"Yeah, it's him." Vesna comment quietly. To Goliate, "Let's go."

The starjet flew in, closely following the augmented tekkaman as they all began the battle…

* * *

_Romefeller Foundation_

In the general board room of the foundation, the lead executives were in disarray as to what to do about the current events unfolding before them.

"How could this have happened? I can't believe it. The direct descendants of the Peacecrafts are battling against each other."

"Marquis Wayridge, are you sure that's Millardo Peacecraft?" one of the men asked.w

Wayridge nodded solemnly, "I didn't want to believe it, but it is him alright."

"What does Queen Relena plan to do about it?" another questioned. "Now that Duke Dermail is gone, Relena Peacecraft is the only one that can possibly control the new Romefeller."

The situation was hopeless. Given their proposal on peace, to change so radically again would be difficult, strenuous at best. They could not be well equipped to deal with the White Fang. Wayridge bent his head down on the table and gave a remorseful prayer.

"King Peacecraft, I give you our deepest sympathies. In an effort to create our ideal world, I'm afraid we've guided your children into a very cruel destiny."

"If that's the way you truly feel, I ask that you abide by my orders."

Everyone in the room looked up at the sound of the new voice as the doors swung open and soldier poured in with rifles. The soldiers surrounded them and the men all looked in surprise at who was in command.

_Trieze Khusrenada…_

* * *

The four tekkamen continued to hover right in front of the shuttle. The three Knights backed away from the glaring face of the dark warriors.

"Shirken." Slayer called. "How about you start things off."

Shirken nodded and his wrist blades began to glow. He then waved one of his arms forward, letting loosed the blades of deadly energy straight at the shuttle. The shuttle exploded in various areas, causing the inside to rock and the three onboard to almost lose their footing.

"Hayato, are you alright?" Yumi asked when she regained her balance.

Hayato nodded, "Yeah. You better get going. Don't worry, I'll catch up."

Dead however, didn't have to wait to see otherwise and he pulled out his knife crystal.

"Tek-Setta!!!!!!"

A purple blast erupted out of the shuttle, soon accompanied by a pink one. The two tekkamen shot up high into the air while the dark ones watched.

"You know what to do." Slayer ordered. "Go."

Shrapnel and Sliver nodded and flew up in pursuit, leaving Shirken and Slayer behind. Tekkaman Hiver and Dead both completed their transformations and faced the oncoming attack, but Dead found that Hiver was the focus of the assault. Shrapnel came in first, unsheathing a massive serrated-looking axe lancer and swinging it forward. Hiver called forth her own sword lancer and blocked it, but was knocked backward with tremendous force. While she flew back, Sliver flew in as well, his own lancer moving in to stab her in the side. But Hiver managed a roll, causing her lancer to slap away Sliver's. Then she gave him a backhanded blow, causing Sliver to be knocked back. Hiver thought about moving in for an attack, but her effort was halted when she saw Shrapnel dive in toward her. Hiver backed away, awaiting his strike, but Shrapnel stopped suddenly and swung his axe. Pieces of the axe fragmented off and came at her.

"No!"

The shards cut across her armor and Hiver cried as was sliced by them. The fragments soon flew back at Shrapnel and re-connected with the axe. Sliver, who had recovered from the earlier blow, charged in to attack. Dead flew in to intercept him, but a beam of energy cut him off. Looking down, he saw the approaching Slayer, who materialized before him, blocking his path from Hiver.

"Well, did you consider my offer?"

Meanwhile, Sliver was still making his way toward the dazed Hiver, ready to stab her through when beams of energy blocked his path. Looking down, the two of them saw Alpha ship flying right at them, firing up to Hiver while preventing the other tekkamen from reaching her. Hiver had awoken just enough to see Alpha coming right at her and she latched her energy wire onto Alpha just as the jet flew past. As Hiver flew away, Shrapnel and Sliver watched them go and flared their crystal hawks. They shot off in separate directions and then circled back, crossing in front of Alpha and creating a wave of turbulence. Hayato struggled to control the jet, but the shaking was enough to rattle Hiver's wire off and Hiver drifted off.

"Yumi!"

Alpha moved to circle back to her, but by the time he got halfway, the two tekkamen were already moving in on the weakened Hiver. Hiver gasped as she saw the two dark energy waves coming at her from both sides.

"Yumi, get down!"

A blur of energy shot out from out of nowhere just as the two crystal hawks slashed across Hiver. But they were soon surprised when they found that their prey had somehow eluded them. Looking around, they soon found that Hiver was held in the arms of another tekkaman.

"Yumi. Are you alright?"

Hiver looked up weakly and was surprised to see her rescuer. "David! It's you."

Tekkaman Sommer had managed to pull Hiver out of the way a second before the crystal hawks could tear her apart. Above, Beta ship flew in and hovered over next to them. Hiver shook her head and floated out, "Yes, I'm fine."

"What are you doing out here?"

Shaking her head, "We were looking for you."

She was going to say a bit more, but blasts of energy flew out at them, separating the two Knights. Sommer looked at the source, which turned out to be the third dark tekkaman, Shirken.

"At last. Now I can fight."

* * *

_Barge _

The battle continued to rage. Even with the White Fang's increased forces, OZ was putting up a stubborn resistance. From across the side of the battlefield, a shuttle with two white Taurus Sol-Tekkas on each side flew in toward it. From within the shuttle, Duo and Quatre marveled at the battle before them.

"Whoa. Look at them go." Duo commented. Talking into the communicator, he spoke to Noin, "What do you think? I have no clue where Zechs might be."

Noin stared off into the battle, searching for him. "I want to get in good and close. He should be in there somewhere."

"We'll be right behind you, so let's go." The three machines swooped in toward the, but then one of the Sol-Tekkas began to turn. Quatre looked in puzzlement, "Huh, Trowa?"

"I'm going off to protect the civilian colonies."

With that answer, he transformed his Sol-Tekka into its jet mode and blasted away toward the nearby colony.

"Hey, hang on." Duo called. But Trowa was long gone.

"Man, talk about making fast decisions."

"Trowa…?" He knew that his friend was still trying to deal with his lost memories. It was the reason that he was using the Sol-Tekka instead of his tekka powers. Quatre just wished that Trowa didn't try to do it on his own.

"Enemies incoming." Noin warned.

Just ahead of them, two Taurus Dolls were coming at them attacking. Duo maneuvered the shuttle out of the line of fire and grinned as he brought the ship to a stop.

"Well, lets get things rolling, eh Quatre."

"Tek-Setta!!!"

The two boys summoned their crystals and raised them into the air, causing them to erupt into two beams of energy that shot out of the shuttle. Soaring through space, the two forms materialized in their armored warrior forms. Tekkaman Hellscythe and Tekkaman Sandrock. The two wasted no time in unsheathing their lancer weapon and charging in. But a flash on their foreheads stopped them short. At the same time, the two attacking Dolls suddenly exploded before them.

"What the…?"

Within the fires of the exploding Dolls, a dark object came into form within it. As the explosion faded, the figure remained. A winged, crimson-armored tekkaman holding a thick blade lancer.

"That's Zechs?" Quatre gasped.

Duo was equally as surprised, "He's…he's a tekkaman!"

* * *

_Romefeller _

In her private quarters, Relena sat alone looking out into the setting sun. The tranquility of the skies however, could not match her turbulent thoughts. _'The Earth is finally at peace. What could you be thinking Milliardo?'_ She lowered her head, _'Regardless of this, my dear brother, it is my responsibility and my duty to make you stop.'_ An echo of footsteps soon caught her attention and she stood up and walked out of her room. The building was dark and quiet, with no one in sight. Bravely, she strode down the hall, soon reaching the meeting room up ahead. Opening the door, she found the room equally as dark as the rest of the building, save for the light coming in through the windows. A lone person stood regally beside one of the windows. He turned around and offered a greeting to the young woman.

"Long time no see, Miss Relena."

"It's you, Treieze Khusenranda." Relena replied. "Why are you here?"

"I thought I'd inform you of a decision made by Romefeller's top executives."

"I don't know what you mean."

"As of this day, you are to be dismissed from your duties as Romefeller's representative." he answered crisply. "I must therefore ask you to step down from your role as queen."

Relena gave him a long stare and then said, "I understand. I will give up my rights as the representative." There was no point in holding on to a role that she never wanted. Besides, the thought of fighting for it never crossed her mind. To do so would cause another war within Romefeller, something that she or the Earth doesn't want or need now. However…

"But before I step down, I must do one final thing. I must persuade my brother, Millardo Peacecraft, to stop fighting against the Earth."

"You're not capable of doing that."

Relena frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's a crime to confine you to this prison-like foundation." Trieze spoke, "I will be Romefeller's chief representative. I'll personally bring the battle to its conclusion." He opened the window wide in a gesture.

"You're free. Free to go wherever you please."

* * *

_Colony L4 orbit_

**Bam!**

Sommer and Shirken deflected off each other after a collective blow from the tekkamen. Meanwhile, Hiver was still staying off Shrapnel and Sliver with the help of Alpha and Beta. Eventually, Shrapnel got irritated by the two starjet's interference and opened his shoulder voltekka cells.

"Be gone pests! Voltekka!!!!"

A bright flash was soon followed by a massive beam-wave of crimson energy. Hayato and Anita both saw the beam incoming and pull hard to avoid it. But the energy shear itself was enough to knock them around and send them tumbling through the space.

"Guuuaaahhhhh!!!!!"

"Hayato! Anita!" Hiver cried. Just then, Sliver swooped up before her and charged. Hiver blinked in surprise, but managed an awkward defense with her lancer. She pushed away, but Sliver pressed the advantage, striking again at her. Again she blocked, but this time, she kicked out, hitting the dark tekkaman in the chest and driving him back. As Sliver drifted back, Shrapnel came in place and charged in. Hiver couldn't defend and was shoulder rammed.

"Ahhhh!!!"

"Yumi!" Sommer called while locked with Shirken's blades. He couldn't reach her because Shirken was constantly keeping him off. And with Hayato and Anita out of action at the moment, Hiver was in serious trouble.

"Raaaahhhhhh!!!!"

Sommer pulled his arm back slightly and decked Shirken in the face. Shirken ducked his head off to the side and dodged the blow. Out of sheer annoyance, Sommer brought his knee up, knowing that Shirken couldn't avoid the blow at this range. But Shirken somehow warped out of in front of him altogether and reappeared behind.

"Forget the girl. Fight me."

Sommer ignored him and shot up to Hiver. Shirken pursued him and his crystal hawk flared to life. Sommer sensed his approached and shot his boosters up to outrun him. But Shirken swooped past and stopped before him, cutting him off again. Then with his wrist blades aglow, he flashed both his arms forth and fired and hailstorm of energy beams. Sommer flew directly into the attack and his armor was shredded. But Sommer continued on, surprising Shirken as he rushed through and tackled Shirken's gut, causing him to gasp. Sommer then brushed him aside and continued to Hiver, but was sideswiped by Sliver.

"Open neck!"

While this battle went on, Dead and Slayer remained further off. Slayer simply stood there while Dead tensed due to the battle. Yet he made no move.

"You see that the Earthlings are only fighting for their own selfish reasons, destroying one another just for themselves." Slayer spoke. "They will destroy one another. But it doesn't have to be that way. My master can save them from their own fate."

Dead paid her no heed and kept looking for a way to go around her and help Sommer. But this was not lost on her who tilted her head to the direction of the fight.

"I see. You are friends with him." Turning back to him, "But he is not your family. He can't truly understand the pain we have suffered."

This hit a cord with Dead, "But he does understand. He was there, at Prague when…"

"But he lucked out." She snapped. "He was saved from the true horror of the destruction. You know what it was like. To have to literally see everyone and everything you've ever known or loved turn to ash and space debris right before your eyes. I know." Her voice seemed to sadden for the first time, "And for the longest time, I thought that you were a part of it. I wanted so much to die. I soon realized that humanity is weak. It needs a master."

Dead didn't hear the last part. He was more focused on what she had said before that. He knew exactly how that felt. The insufferable pain that hit you at the core over and over and over again, leaving you with nothing, but emptiness.

"Dead End…Kenji…Come with me." She held her clawed hand out to him. "This is your family. I am your family."

* * *

_Barge_

The two tekkamen stood face to face with the Tekkaman Epyon. Noin was the only one of them that wasn't surprised. Like everything secret in Zechs life, this came as no surprise to her. She had long known that he was a primary body and given everything that had happened, him becoming a tekkaman had been an option. The only thing that caught her off guard was the name. Tekkaman…Epyon. As in the Epyon crystal that was once owned by Heero. But she would have to think about this another time. From behind Epyon, a ball of red light circled into view and began to grow.

"What is that thing?" Hellscythe asked absentmindedly.

"Heh…"

Epyon ducked the giant energy beam that had come from Barge's main cannon. Noin, Sandrock and Hellscythe followed suit, barely ducking out of the way of beam. The blast continued on, wiping out the White Fang in the back, including Serdeci and onward where it nicked across the side of a colony. The structure shook violently, but luckily the damage seemed minimal. Just in orbit of the colony, Trowa gasped in shock and looked over at the source as Barge powered down. Sandrock and Hellscythe were equally as shocked.

"No! How could they do that?"

"They can't be serious." Hellscythe agreed. "A direct hit would have wiped out the colony."

Their senses were son diverted away as Epyon came in at them flying. Approaching Hellscythe, he lashed out with his heat rod/whip, driving the demonic tekkaman back. Then Epyon turned and attacked Sandrock with his lancer, driving him back as well.

"What are you doing Zechs?"

Epyon didn't reply and charged again. Hellscythe, already irritated by the surprise attack, came at him first, bringing his scythe lancer down on him. But Epyon swiftly blocked it, slapped it away and punched Hellscythe in the face.

"Talk about speed and power."

Sandrock moved in from behind with his lancers, but Epyon swiftly wheeled around and deflected the slash. Sandrock pressed on, but it was again deflected. With a final strike, Sandrock struck downward, but he was blocked off and held in place.

"It's incredible, what strength. He's as powerful as…Zero!"

This realization hit him enough for Epyon to ease out. Luckily, Hellscythe came in as well, but Epyon flew out of the way and ignited his crystal hawk. Sandrock and Hellscythe quickly followed, their own energy bursting to life as they pursued him. Noin simply watched sadly as the three energies moved in to collide.

"No. How could you, Zechs?"

Noin wasn't the only one watching. Fron Barge, the OZ commander watched as the tekkaman fought each other. Earlier, Epyon had been cutting down his forces piece by piece. Now seemed like a golden opportunity to stop him.

"We can't let the enemy get any closer than this." He then ordered, "Ready the cannon to fire again. We'll completely wipe them out in our next attack."

The three crystal hawks soon smashed into each other, exploding with explosive force. But the bigger shock came when both Hellscythe and Sandrock were blasted away while Epyon remained unscathed.

"He has got the upper hand." Sandrock grimaced. A faint glow turned his attention away and he could see Barge powering up the cannon. "Oh no. No again!" Turning to Hellscythe, "Duo, check out Barge!"

Hellscythe looked over and saw the power build-up as well. "They're going to fire that again?" His eyes shimmered as he looked back at Epyon, "I haven't got time to play games with you."

With his scythe reared behind him, Hellsythe leaped upward and swung down big on Epyon. But with a deft motion, Epyon sidestepped the attack and watched him fly past. However, he was soon surprised when a pair on armored arms grabbed him from behind and held him. It was Noin, who was holding him with her Taurus Sol-Tekka.

-

I just feel "Rhythm Emotion"

_kono__ mune no kodou wa_

_anata__ e to tsudzuite'ru_ so far away

-

"I'll stay and take care of him. You go stop the Barge cannon."

Sandrock couldn't believe what he was hearing. Given Epyon's strength, he could crush her in seconds.

"But Noin…"

"Get going!"

Sandrock faltered back in uncertainty and Hellscythe snapped at him, "Quatre, we haven't got time."

-

_sou__... shinayaka ni ima wo_

_suhada__ de uketomete_

_motto__ "yasashisa" mitsuketai yo_

-

Nodding, Sandrock and Hellscythe flew toward Barge, leaving Noin to Epyon. "Zechs. Zechs? Can you recognize my voice?"

Epyon remained still, but responded, "I can hear you."

She gave a sigh of relief, "Zechs, that's better. You owe me an explanation as to why you have been acting this way. Under Miss Relena's rule, the Earth is finally moving toward pacifism. So why would you choose to become Miss Relena's enemy?"

"It's just as I've declared. From outer space's perspective, the origin of disputes is the Earth…and none other."

"What a minute…" Noin called. But Epyon had said enough and he powered out of Noin's grip. Noin staggered back and when she recovered, she was found face to face with his lancer pointing at her head.

-

_subete__ ga kirameite'ta_

_osanai__ hi no kiseki torimodoshite..._

-

"And that's why, I'll set everything right."

Now Noin was shocked, "You're…serious!"

Epyon pulled his lancer away and flew off, tailing right behind Hellscythe and Sandrock. Noin called out to him, "Zechs, no!" But soon she was cut off when a troop of Taurus Dolls attacked her. Ignoring them, she flew through the fire in order to chase after him. But the interference was too much and she was unable to follow him. The Dolls continued to fire upon her, but soon one by one, they were blasted away. Trowa had come in from behind and was covering her with fire of his own.

"Watch out for yourself. There's no sense dying here."

Noin was unable to answer him and sadly watched Epyon fly away. Meanwhile, Sandrock and Hellscythe continued on their path toward Barge, with a swarm of Dolls in their path. They were forced to cut through them as they made their way to the charging cannon/fortress.

-

I just feel "Rhythm Emotion"

_otagai__ no setsunasa_

_kanjiai__ wakeaeru nukumori wo shinjite'ru_

I just feel "Rhythm Emotion"

_kono_kiss_ de tashika na_

_jounetsu__ wo tsutaetai_ so far away...

-

"Just get out of my way!"

"Come on. We've got to hurry."

But it appeared that they would not get there in time. Inside, the commander awaited for the ok from his officer.

"Pressure is building inside the cylinder. 10 seconds left until critical meltdown."

But he didn't need ten seconds, "Their finished. This is the end of the line for those gundams." His hand moved for the trigger, "Have a taste of our Barge cannon at full power!"

Outside, the two gundam tekkamen were helpless to stop it. The Dolls had swamped their path too much.

"We're not going to make it!"

But suddenly, Epyon swooped through the Dolls and the tekkamen and stood before Barge. His eyes glared brightly, causing the commander to back away in fear at the sight of it.

"You're not needed here!"

He raised his lancer, forming the voltekka cells around it and igniting them, creating a pillar of energy in his arms.

"There's no need to you in outer space!"

-

I just feel "Rhythm Emotion"

_ayamachi__ mo itami mo_

_azayaka__ na isshun no hikari e to michibiete_

-

The voltekka sword came down on the cannon, blasting and slicing right through it massive fortress. The inside exploded upon contact, but Epyon was far from finished. He dove downward on the fortress, literally cutting it in half until he reached the other side. Another flash came from his eyes and Epyon flew away just as the entire fortress exploded behind him, taking out the Dolls nearby as well. The four remaining were completely shocked by the display of Epyon's power and the complete destruction of Barge.

-

I just feel "Rhythm Emotion"

_kono__ mune no kodou wa_

_anata__ e to tsudzuite'ru_ so far away

-

"No…Barge is finished." Sandrock whispered.

"That's the end." Hellscythe added. "It's sinking."

Noin watched it too, but her thoughts were still on the cause of the destruction.

"Oh Zechs."

* * *

Sommer was in big trouble. Anita and Hayato were taken out of the fight and Hiver was badly injured. In a nutshell, he was basically on his own. He had to think his way out of this one. He would be swamped in a direct confrontation with the three tekkamen. That means he had to play his ace. The Cannon Voltekka. But he had to play it right. He had to somehow get them all in one place and attack them all at the same time. 

_'I hope this works.'_

He turned to Hiver and whispered, "Yumi. Can you still use the Reactor Voltekka?"

Hiver, who was behind him, answered weakly, "Yes. But I don't know for how long."

Sommer looked back, "Remember the final test Chief put you through for the Reactor Voltekka. We're going to do the same thing here. When I give the signal, I want you to fire at me and have it follow. Hold it for as long as you can and I'll deal with the rest."

Hiver blinked, "But David…That means you'll have to fight all three of them by yourself."

"I know. Just do it." he ordered.

Hiver had no clue what he was up to, but at this point, they had no choice. She nodded to him and crossed her arms.

"Okay."

Sommer nodded back and with a wild cry, he charged straight at them. His first target was Shrapnel, who saw his approach and whipped his axe forward, sending out his lancer shards. Sommer continued coming and flicked whatever ones he could away. Then he whipped his arm back and let his lancer fly, holding on to the short blade part. The giant boomerang-like weapon came full speed at Shrapnel and the bulky tekkaman flew up to avoid it. At the same time, Sliver came at him from the side and stabbed forward with his lancer. Sommer weakly blocked it and was pushed backward while Shirken came in from above and fired another round of energy darts. Sommer's boosters went off and he flew out of the way. He then began to arch back and he called out to Hiver.

"Yumi! Now!"

Hiver powered up the voltekka cells on her hands and she shut her eyes from within the helmet in concentration.

"Reactor…Voltekka!!!!!"

The spiral of energy burst out of her hands and flew toward Sommer. Sommer continued to fly while the beam followed him and he went straight at Sliver now. Sliver made ready for his charge, but Sommer suddenly veered off to the right. Sliver was spooked by the incoming beam and moved aside, but he was stunned when he saw the beam change direction, still following Sommer. Sommer then went in for Shirken. Shirken, seeing what Sommer did earlier, ignited his wrist blades to attack him form a distance, but a spinning sound diverted his attention. It was the other half of Sommer's lancer, spinning right at him now. Shirken dodged it and the lancer returned to its owner, who was closing in on him. Not wanting to be hit with the energy that followed him, Shirken had no choice but to dodge as well. But again, Sommer flew by and the beam followed him to his final target, Shrapnel. But Shrapnel did something unexpected. He charged at Sommer and his lancer clashed with his, holding them in a lock. Sommer struggled, knowing that if he didn't move fast, the Reactor would hit him. In a sneaky move, Sommer wheeled around and reversed their direction. Now Shrapnel would be caught by the blast. In near panic, Shrapnel dove away and Sommer shot away before the voltekka could hit either of them. Sommer repeated the action again with each tekkaman, forcing them closer together while Hiver's Reactor Voltekka encased them. Soon they were locked in a web of energy created by Hiver and woven by Sommer. Sommer soon backed away from the 'web' and quickly brought his lancer before himself. His voltekka cells unhinged and materialized and he pointed the weapon at the encased tekkamen. He had to hurry. There was no telling how long Hiver could hold them. The energy began to power up within the rail-gun weapon

"Cannon…Volt…!"

He was suddenly cut off when Tekkaman Dead materialized right in front of him. Sommer paused and the energy of his voltekka began to diminish.

"Dead…?"

If that surprised him, he was in for a real shock. Dead suddenly reared his arm back and summoned his own voltekka. Sommer was in complete shock as the dark lightning cumulated into the voltekka cells on his lancer as he held it right at Sommer.

"Dead!"

"Voltekka!!!!!!!!!!!"

The dark energy flashed forth and the destructive force engulfed Sommer. Even while the beam flew at him, Sommer couldn't believe it. Dead…had attacked him. His best friend…attacked him… Sommer's body was hurled through space by the blast and the tekkaman was still.

"David!"

Hiver wanted to help him, but she had been locked on her own Reactor Voltekka, which now disappeared from both the lost of concentration and her weakened energy state. Hiver simply floated in space and watched her 'web' evaporate and the three tekkamen go free. The three of them turned to Hiver and made ready to attack when Slayer halted them.

"Leave her…for now. We have what we came for."

Slayer activated her crystal hawk and flew away, with the others following suit. Dead saw her departure and followed, flying close to his sister's side. Anita, who had repaired her ship enough to fly out, went over to Hiver and the unconscious Sommer. But Hiver simply watched as Dead went off and disappeared with the four dark ones.

"Dead…no…"

* * *

_The two groups return to the Peacemillion, with injured warriors and bad news until they are soon met by Noal, D-Boy and the still unconscious Miyuki. Heero, along with Sally Po and Natasha, fly out into space and find a still Altron in space. Relena goes into space to speak with her brother, but Milliardo is adamant in his proposal. On Earth, Trieze organizes his forces for the approaching battle, but on the Lunar Base, the dark tekkamen are gathering their own forces; The Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: The Gathering_

--

AN: I had to add the lyrics to Rythmn Emotion here. It's my all-time favorite song. Credit for the lyrics goes to


	55. Gathering

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Chap. 55

_Romefeller__ Foundation_

Trieze entered the marbled hall of the Romefeller Foundation, readying to make his address with the World Nation's leaders. The seats were packed as he strode up to the podium to speak. As he stood before them, his eyes swept over them, trying to determine how they were feeling. He knew this wasn't what many of these people wanted, but there was no other option. Milliardo had declared war on the Earth and they had to respond. It was something he had to do, just as he had told his most faithful servant.

_Lady Une..._

_Flashback, one hour ago..._

Trieze strode into the medical ward in the hospital near a naval base. A few hours ago, he had been informed of a ship that had managed to escape the Lunar Base takeover and had made it all the way to Earth. But what made it important was what it was carrying. The unconscious, yet still alive, body of Lady Une. Trieze came immediately when he heard, forestalling his announcement to the world of his plans for the White Fang and their new leader, Milliardo. The doctors, upon seeing him, left the room and closed the door behind him. Trieze gazed down at her softly. Aside from the steady rising and falling of her chest, she remained motionless. Moving over to her, he removed one of his gloves and gently placed his hand on her forehead.

"My dear Lady..." he said quietly. "Times have almost come to the full at last. I'm sorry that you are not awake to see this. I have much to thank you for. I guess a sense of irony could be felt that Milliardo is to be my opponent, but I can't see it any other way. If peace is to come, then I must stop him."

Trieze stood in silence for a bit longer and then he moved away. Putting his glove back on, he exited the room, but not before giving her one last look.

_Present..._

Trieze refocused on the crowd before him. Each one of them, members and leaders of former countries, were now intently looking at the new leader of the World Nation. Trieze allowed his eyes to sweep across them once more and then he spoke aloud.

"People of the World Nation, hear me. We have finally achieved what has never before happened in the history of mankind. We have achieved true peace. But now that precious peace has been threatened by the White Fang. As the new leader of Romefeller, I am asking for the leaders of the world to unite with me to stop them." His voice and tone rose, "Fight with me and open in a new chapter for the future of all mankind."

As soon as he finished, a crowd of claps echoed throughout the hall followed by the members standing up from their seats to show their support. Trieze nodded to them all and turned away to prepare things. There was much to do now and a lot to plan out. But there was no turning back now. Now mankind would grasp their future. History and fate will determine the victors.

* * *

_Space Knight Command Center_

Aki paced in around in the medical room that now served as her prison. She was really annoyed with Dontello's attitude. His pride had been lost when he lost control of the situation in the battle with the Radham. But frankly, Aki didn't care. Lives had to be saved and she did what she could, managing to repel the dark tekkaman Shirken. But all of it seemed for naught, for now she was imprisoned in her own command center. She moved over to the window and though about jumping out, but the disruptor crystal humming nearby would prevent her from transforming and she would wind up getting killed from the height of the fall. But she couldn't stay there. It would only be a matter of time before they were attacked again and next time, it will be twice as bad. Her thoughts soon shifted as she looked up in the sky, thinking about the others that were out there and the white tekkaman in particular.

"D…"

"Hey Chief."

Aki blinked and looked back over at the door to see Honda standing in the doorway, waving at her to come. Aki was surprised. As far as sh knew, her comrades were prohibited from coming to see her.

"Honda. What are you doing here?"

He placed a finger on his lip and looked back out the door, "What else? Getting you out."

"No." Aki replied after awhile. "I can't leave."

"Huh?"

"Dontello can't remain in charge here." she answered his unspoken question. "If he does, he'll wind up killing us all."

"That's true." Honda agreed shortly. But then he said, "But nothing will come from you confronting him now. The best thing you can do is leave." He held up a hand as soon as her mouth began to open, "And before you say anything, don't worry about it. I'll keep the place in shape until you guys come back."

Aki stood looking at the elder man quietly. Leaving the base was the furthest thing from her mind and even if she was leaving, she certainly didn't want to leave her friends behind. But desperate times called for desperate situations.

"…Okay. I'll go."

"Alright." He backed away from the door and pointed down the hall, "Hanger 7 is still wrecked from the last attack, so you can take the shuttle and get out through there. Milla already has it prepped and ready to go."

Aki blinked again, "She's staying too?"

Honda shrugged, "You know how stubborn she could be at times. Anyway, I could use the company once you're gone. Now get moving. Security patrol will be down the hallway in a couple of minutes."

"Thanks." she nodded as she made her way down the hall

"Sure thing, Chief."

Aki dashed through the hall and just ducked the second patrol of soldier that marched past her. As soon as they left, she ran off again, reaching the stairway and descending downward. Instead of exit out of the stairway, she opened a nearby ventilation shaft and crawled in. She moved as best as she could without making too much noise. Finally, she reached the opening she was looking for and jumped out. In front of her was the doorway to hanger 7. She opened the door and peered in, seeing the lone shuttle as well as the damage to the hanger itself that left it opened and exposed. Aki dashed to the shuttle and entered inside, heading to the cockpit immediately. She found Milla in the seat, but as she drew near, she found that she wasn't alone.

"Sorry Chief. They got here right after I did."

Rotating the seat, Aki saw that Milla had her hands raised with an OZ soldier holding a gun on her. From behind, more soldiers poured in and surrounded Aki from behind. Aki sighed and raised her hands.

"It was worth a try."

* * *

_Space_

The regrouped Space Knights were now well out into space in a shuttle heading back to the Peacemillion. Connected to the shuttle were the two starjets, Alpha and Beta. Inside, the team sat silently in the cockpit with Anita flying the ship, Hayato in the co-pilot seat, Yumi looking out the window bored and David, with the bandages just hidden underneath his clothes. The silence came from the fact that no one wanted to bring up the subject of Dead End and his actions. Even though David believed what he said earlier, the others weren't as understanding. Yumi accepted it even if she didn't understand it fully. Anita reserved her judgment since she didn't know Dead all that well, but his change of alliances would make her suspicious. Hayato was still angry at what Dead did and as such, his thoughts on the matter were less transparent. But for the moment, he kept it to himself. It was as tense as it was when D-Boy was seriously injured by Dead End when they first fought. And like before, it was Yumi that broke up the silence.

"I'm picking up another shuttle on radar." she announced. "It's heading right for us."

The group suddenly became active as they peered out and saw the lone shuttle approaching from afar. As it came closer, David's and Yumi's tekka-set crystals lit up on their foreheads. Anita grew tense when she saw this, hoping that it wasn't another attack from the dark tekkamen, but Yumi happily beamed.

"It's D-Boy!"

The communication line opened up and Noal's smiling face came up on the screen.

"Hey kids. How's it going?"

A few minutes later, the two groups met aboard D-Boy's shuttle. The Space Knight leader was informed of what had happened to the teens, right up to the desertion of Dead to the dark tekkamen.

"I'm sure Dead has a good reason." Yumi meekly excused.

"Regardless of whatever the reason may be, Dead has put you all in a dangerous position." D replied darkly. Through his shades, he glanced over at David. "You all will have to be careful meeting him next time.

David however, saw the glance and looked down. A short silence followed before Anita broke in. "Anyway, we should head to the Peacemillion to regroup."

"Good idea." Noal agreed. "The Space Knights and the gundams must come together if we are to face whatever is going on out there. There is a lot more to worry about than the White Fang.

Anita sighed, "Let me guess. Those tekkamen that's been attacking us."

D nodded, "I fear they are just the envoys of a greater danger. We will be in the fight of our lives."

Noal slumped back against the wall, "Story of our lives."

Meanwhile, Yumi had moved away from the group awhile ago and wandered. Earlier, she had caught a brief glimpse of what looked like a woman's body and she wanted to check up on it to make sure it wasn't her imagination. To her surprise, it wasn't. Lying in a cot in the room was a young woman under a sheet, apparently asleep. As Yumi crept beside her, a bunch of question flooded her mind, with the most prominent on being…

_'Who is she?'_

"Yumi."

Yumi half jumped and turned to see D-Boy standing in the doorway. Stammering, "Hey D. Uhh…" Deciding to get an answer for her question, she asked simply, "Who's your friend?"

D moved over to cot and Yumi and looked down ant the unconscious body, "This is Miyuki, Yumi. My little sister."

At this, Yumi's eyes went wide with surprise. "You have a sister?" She cried, looking back and forth between them to look for a resemblance, "Wow!" She then stopped short, "But…I thought…your family was…well…you know…"

D-Boy continued to look down at his sister as he quietly answered her. "Yes. Miyuki –Tekkaman Rapier – was captured by the Radham the same as I and like me she had managed to escape before the process was complete. But her early emergence came with a cost." His eyes closed, "Her body began to reject the system and she started dying."

Yumi had learned awhile ago about the fate of D-Boy's family from Aki. But she had never heard the details of it and the pain that underlined his voice made it all too much for her. "How awful…"

D continued, "In the end though, she self-detonated in order to save us from a Radham attack." Opening his eyes, "I don't know how she is alive now."

"Self-detonated?" Yumi repeated. She then added, "You mean like what Heero did?"

D nodded to her and then his eyes widen suddenly. _'Exactly like that.'_ His mind recalled the moment when Miyuki self-destructed, intending to take the tekkamen under Omega's control with her. It was the same thing Heero had done. The parallels were unmistakable. _'And Heero survived as well. How is that possible?'_

"D?"

D blinked out of his thoughts and turned to her, "I think we better save the questions for until another time."

"Okay."

* * *

_Libra Battlestation_

Milliardo entered the bridge of the mighty battlestation where he found it full of activity. Officers have been working around the clock to get the battlestation ready and operable according to schedule. Quinze was busy giving out directions and orders as Millardo took his seat in command.

"How are things going?"

Quinze answered, "Everything's going according to schedule. Libra should be at full capacity in an hour at the most."

Millardo nodded, but just then one of the communication's officers turned around and called out, "There is a shuttle approaching the Libra, asking to speak with Commander Milliardo"

The viewscreen flashed, showing that indeed, a small shuttle was rapidly approaching the Libra. Quinze took a closer look at the vehicle. "That's a Romefeller shuttle. Send out the Dolls to apprehend it."

"Wait." Milliardo ordered. "Who's on board?"

"Dorothy Catalonia."

"Duke Dermail's granddaughter." Quinze confirm. He was about to continue his previous order when Milliardo spoke in, "Put her on."

The screen change and Dorothy's face flickered in view, "Mr. Milliardo."

But Milliardo skipped the pleasantries, "What do you want?"

_'Right to the point'_ Dorothy thought, holding face still to prevent herself from smiling. Answering his question, "I wish to join your cause in the war."

"I find that hard to believe." Milliardo retorted. He wasn't a fool. He knew that Duke Dermail had been killed in the early part of their war by the White Fang. He didn't have time for young girls with thoughts of revenge. "Especially coming from a representative of Romefeller."

Now Dorothy allowed her smile to show, "On the contrary, this is what I have longed to see come to pass. A war to end all wars and reveal the truth to all of mankind in one grand display."

Milliardo examined her thoroughly, both her answer and her face. Though he figured she could have been deceiving him, her eyes showed sincerity in what she had said. _'She really believes it. And she understands.'_

"Let her aboard."

Quinze was greatly surprised, "Sir?"

Milliardo stood up and continued to look at Dorothy, who hadn't done anything aside from smiling. "We have the same goals after all."

""It will be a pleasure, I'm sure." Dorothy responded.

* * *

_Space Knight Command Center_

Aki and Milla were escorted to the command room by a troop of OZ soldiers. As they approached the doorway, they were accompanied by Honda, who was also being escorted by a troop of soldiers. All three of them were handcuffed and the escort soldiers were armed and they all entered into the room and stood in the center, with Colonel Dontello sitting in the command seat. His gazed directly at Aki and showed a small grin.

"Escape, Chief? That's more than enough to put you and your compatriots in the brig for a long time." He stood up from the seat and moved over before them, "But I guess I can't blame you. You Knights are such cowards after all."

"Take that back!" Milla shouted. "You're the coward! Aki had to risk her life to safe your ungrateful life.

"Quiet!" his hand whipped across the young woman's cheek, causing her head to snap to the side. Luckily, she didn't fall from it and she glared venomously at him as he continued, "I will not tolerate backtalk!"

"What's the matter, Dontello?" Milla sneered. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

Dontello was about to give her another slap when Aki broke in, "You are a commander in charge of soldiers. Soldiers who rely on you to keep them alive as much as you rely on them to do likewise."

"Hah!" Dontello spat back, "The only soldiers I need are the Dolls. They are far more effective than any human soldier alive is. Even better than a bunch of kiddy tekkamen led by an outclassed one."

"How dare you insult her that way!" Honda exploded, out of character for him. "Your Dolls weren't any help when they turned against you. If not for her, you wouldn't even be alive right now."

The colonel shrugged, "That may be true, but all that does is justify what kind of force the Sol-Tekka Dolls are."

"Dontello…" Aki warned.

Unknown to Dontello, his subordinates were listening to every word he had said. Many of them felt betrayed and even outraged by the colonel's words, but no one spoke up against him since he was their commanding officer. Dontello moved back over to the seat and linked his fingers together in a smug position.

"You three are hereby detained in the brig until I see fit…"

Before he could finish, one of the communication officers called to him. "Colonel. Priority one alert from HQ." His eyes widened, "It's Master Trieze."

"Really?" Like everyone else, Dontello had learned of Trieze's retake on Romefeller. Personally, he was glad for it, for now he could stop sitting around and do some active work against the White Fang with the Sol-Tekka Dolls at his command. Nodding, he ordered, "Put him on."

The main screen flickered before them and soon, Trieze's image loomed on the screen. Dontello stood up and gave a firm salute.

"Master Trieze, sir."

"Colonel Dontello. In preparation for the upcoming fight against the White Fang, you and all your men are recalled back to base."

Dontello face shifted. This wasn't exactly what he expected. Though he wanted to fight against the White Fang, he had wanted to do it at the Command Center, where he could keep a firm grip on it.

"But…what about the Command Center and the Space Knights?"

Trieze face remained passive, "As of this moment, you are to hereby relinquish control of the Command Center back to Chief Commander Aki."

Now that really wasn't what he expected. "What?!"

"Aki will resume control of her command center and the Space Knights will continue with their previous activities."

Dontello couldn't believe what he was hearing. _'This is an outrage.'_ Remaining calm, he tried to persuade Trieze, "But sir, it would be dangerous to allow this. The Space Knights could very well turn against us."

"The mission of the Space Knights has always been against the Radham." Trieze replied. "To that end, I'll trust that they will make no hostile moves against us."

"But sir…?"

Trieze's voice and face remained neutral, but it was clear to everyone that the colonel was foolishly overstepping his boundaries with him. "This is a direct order, understand?" Trieze finished, leaving no room for argument.

"Yes…sir…"

The screen cut off and Dontello looked down and his tightly clenched fist. _'No. I won't give this up to these rebels. I refuse to.'_ Looking back up, he commanded, "Put the Chief and her compatriots in the brig."

The lead soldier that was guarding them looked up in puzzlement, "Sir?"

But the colonel bellowed, "Do it! That is my order!"

"But…Master Trieze…"

"The hell with him!" he roared. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. I am you commanding officer. Do as I say!"

The officers began to look at each other in puzzlement and confusion until the guard soldier lowered his gun. On this, the others did the same, leaving Dontello puzzled.

"No. Master Trieze gave a direct order." The soldier then pointed his gun at Dontello and ordered the others, "Restrain Colonel Dontello. He has been found unfit for duty."

Dontello glared at him but that glare was replaced with shock as the other soldiers followed the command and grabbed hold of him. Dontello struggled in their grip, but didn't escape. "How dare you!"

The former colonel was dragged away, leaving Aki and her group with the remaining soldiers. The lead soldier looked at Aki and soon un-cuffed her and the others saying, "We will follow Master Trieze orders." He then moved to leave, but then turned back and gave her a salute, a show of respect for the Space Knight Commander.

"Chief. The Command Center is yours."

* * *

_Space_

After picking up Altron/Wufei, the shuttle continued on its way through space toward the Peacemillion. Inside the shuttle, Wufei managed to revive and entered the main area with the others.

"Feeling better?" Sally called out to him from up front.

"I'm fine." he replied sharply. He then looked over at Heero, "What are you doing here, Heero?"

"Zechs and the White Fang must be stopped." Heero replied simply.

Wufei furrowed his brow. That wasn't exactly what he meant. He wanted to know what he was doing with the others. Last he heard, Heero was fighting for the Peacecraft monarchy and Wufei now wondered what he was doing now. That was when Sally intervened with an answer.

"We need your help. We plan on reuniting the gundams with the Space Knights in order to fight the White Fang."

Wufei was a bit surprised by this, but kept it hidden. "I fight alone."

"And where has that gotten you?" Natasha questioned. "Come on face it. It's better if we fight together."

"I don't need advice from a woman." Wufei snapped back.

Natasha growled and was about to retort when Goliate stepped in front of her to stop her. "Hey, watch it." he warned. When Wufei didn't respond, he continued, "Be honest. Do you really think you can handle the White Fang alone, not to mention those dark tekkamen roaming around here in space?"

"Hmph." Despite his insistence, they were right. His solo battles haven't done any good and he only wound up spending his energies and getting hammered. If they hadn't found him, he wasn't sure he would have been able to continue fighting. The silence hung between them for awhile and Sally broke it with an announcement.

"I have objects on radar." Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "This doesn't make sense."

"What is it?"

Her eyes wavered to double check, "The signatures are Radham…and Sol-Tekkas. But if I'm not mistaken, they're moving in one group."

"Together?" Natasha blinked. "That doesn't make sense."

Wufei shook his head and began to walk away, "I'll deal with them."

"You're in no position to fight."

That came from Heero and at this, Wufei stopped shortly. He was expecting to hear that, but not from Heero. Strangely enough, this brought him back to the reality of the truth. His body was still fatigued from his earlier battle and any further stress may result in serious injury. Despite this, Wufei would have gone, but Heero continued.

"I'll deal with them."

Heero soon walked past him en route to the airlock. Natasha rose up from her seat

"I'll go with you."

His only reply was a short gruff, but nothing that indicated that he didn't want her to come. Goliate followed her to the airlock where Gamma was connected. Meanwhile, Heero entered the separate airlock and shut the hatch behind him. Gamma disconnected from the shuttle and rocketed off toward the enemy. As soon as they were disconnected, Natasha summoned her crystal while in the airlock, Heero had done the same.

_"Zero…Tek-Setta!!!!"_

_"Tek-Setta!!!!"_

A blue-white burst shot out of the shuttle and into space while a reddish one flashed out of the Gamma starjet and circled back. Heero flew beside it and Natasha landed on top, now fully transformed.

"Tekkaman Vesna!"

"Tekkaman Zero!"

They streaked across space toward their foe. Just as Sally said, it was Radham, with a small group of Sol-Tekka Dolls within them. The Dolls fired on them, causing them to split away. Gamma soared into the throng and fired, damaging a couple of Radham and Dolls. When close enough, Vesna detached from the starjet and stabbed her lancer in the first target, a Radham. She then flipped away as it exploded and slashed down her next prey, which was a Sol-Tekka Doll. As that one was destroyed, some of the Dolls turned on her and fired. Vesna latched out her energy-wire as Gamma soared past behind her, pulling her out of the line of fire. Then she used the momentum to swing back around them and attack, stabbing in two Dolls at once.

During this, Zero was doing more than his share of damage. He had started off with his crystal hawk form, annihilating dozens of them in one go. He then shut it off and with his lancer, he dove in for a more direct assault. The Radham and the Dolls came at him all at once, yet none of them were a match for the hyper-powered tekkaman. Zero rushed through them and in one cut, slashed them in half. The two tekkamen were rapidly decimating the enemy forces while everyone in the shuttle looked on. Particularly, Wufei, who saw the strength and advantages they had in the fight. Despite the number and oddity of the enemy force, that did little to slow down Zero and Vesna.

_'Perhaps…there's something to this teamwork after all.'_

Zero re-ignited his crystal hawk and shot through the few remaining enemy forces. All of them were completely demolished by the energy wave as Zero blasted through. Those that remained were scattered all over the place, preparing to retreat. But they would get no such chance, for Vesna was already powering up, the energy spheres already formed around her.

**_"Pulse...Voltekka!!!!!!!!!!"_**

The beam flashed forth, followed by multiple smaller beams of energy that cleared away all the rest of the Radham and Dolls, leaving behind alien parts and debris floating in space. Wufei nodded to himself and turned around to walk away, but not before quietly announcing to the others.

"Alright. I'm in."

* * *

_Libra Battlestation_

"Commander Millardo. All systems and command stations are ready. Libra is on-line."

Millardo nodded. The time had come for them to act in full now. "Send out an open broadcast to the colonies and Earth."

The officer got to work and soon the transmission clicked to life. "Channel open, sir."

Standing from his seat, the White Fang leader spoke out, "This is Milliardo Peacecraft, commander of White Fang. War is a creature that exists in the hearts of all mankind. A creature that has reared its head, especially in the past 200 years and had killed millions. In order to stop the endless cycle of war and fighting that has plagued us is to have one final war against the source. The Earth and its World Nation will be destroyed and all war along with it. We of the White Fang will be the ones to carry out this task. And this battlestation - Libra - will be the weapon to complete it."

Nearby, Dorothy, who was now wearing a White Fang uniform, smiled, "And now it begins."

Meanwhile on the surface of the Moon, Tekkaman Dead watched silently as the Libra began to fly away. Coming up to him, Slayer placed a clawed hand on his shoulder.

"The time is coming, little one. Soon everything will be just right."

They soon moved away into darkness, flanked by hordes of Sol-Tekka Dolls...

* * *

_As the final battle draws near, it seems that only D-Boy and the Space Knights are concerned with the threat of the Radham. However, Heero's arrival to the Peacemillion reveals an even greater threat; that many of the Sol-Tekka Dolls are under the control of the Radham. However, this causes a division between the gundams and the Space Knights, who are after different enemies. At the same time, Relena tries to persuade her brother to stop fighting against the Earth. Dead End is brought in before their leader and ordered to prove his loyalty by destroying the Command Center. But he is unaware that Shirken is to follow him and destroy him should he falter. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Target, Earth._


	56. Target: Earth

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chap. 56

_Peacemillion_

"Something is approaching from behind."

On the bridge of the battlestation, Noin and Howard looked over as the crewman made the announcement.

"What?"

"It appears to be a shuttle of some sort." He then paused. "Wait...Make that two."

"The enemy?" Noin questioned.

Howard shook his head, "No, they would have opened fire by now?"

The crewman continued his radar scan. "I've ID'd the second shuttle. It's the one the Space Knights borrowed."

"Well that one's out of the way. Now for the other one."

Noin moved to the communication relay. "To the approaching shuttle, this is the Peacemillion. Please identify yourselves."

A female voice replied over the comm. "I thought you might be there, Noin."

"Sally Po!"

The scream lit up to show Sally's smiling face. "I brought some powerful allies with me. May I have permission to dock?"

Noin nodded in response. "Permission granted."

Minutes later, the two shuttles docked inside the Peacemillion and the two groups met together inside along with Quatre, Trowa and Duo. The gundam tekkamen were rejoined once again.

"Heero! Wufei!" Quatre greeted the two gundams as they entered in.

"It's amazing that you guys made it here without being shot down." Duo added.

"It appears that I'll have to inconvenience you here." Wufei spoke quietly.

"That's no problem." Quatre reassured. "I'm glad that you came. All of you."

At that point, the Space Knights, with the exception of D-Boy exited from the docking area and joined them in the bay. Quatre greeted them just as warmly.

"So I guess you found him after all." Duo smiled at the sight of David. His eyes wavered a bit through them. "Where's Dead End?"

This caused all of their faces to become downcast. "It's a long story." Anita whispered. A medical crew soon dashed out of the shuttle, wheeling Miyuki's unconscious body to the medical bay. D-Boy emerged behind them a moment later.

"Is she okay?" Yumi asked.

D answered simply. "She is unchanged."

Despite his answer, Noal felt a sense of pity for the man. He saw past D-Boy's response and demeanor and knew that the he was very much worried over his beloved sister.

"Who is she?" Duo asked.

"My sister, Miyuki. And the predecessor of you gundams."

This caused all of them, minus Heero and Trowa, to gasp in surprise. "What?" Duo pressed. "Our predecessor?"

"We have much to discuss."

D-Boy and Noal explained to them what they had discovered on the asteroid laboratory. The group was stunned by the revelation, but even more so when Sally informed them of the combined force of Sol-Tekka Dolls and Radham.

Great." Goliate sighed. "Just when things couldn't get any worse, they do."

Hayato frowned. "It doesn't make since. Why would the Dolls just join the Radham?"

"They must have been programmed to do that." Quatre answered. "That's the only logical explanation."

"If that is true, then it means the Radham are also using Doll technology." Noal spoke. "That in itself is a serious problem."

Howard decided to step in now. "Speaking of problems, the Libra is on the move. With such a weapon, the White Fang may become unstoppable."

"If we are to stop them, then somehow we'll have to take it down." Quatre responded.

"Hold on." Natasha said suddenly. "Don't you think we should do something about the Radham first?"

"There may not be time for it." Wufei argued. "If Libra is already on the move, they should be stopped immediately."

Noal held up his hand. "I think we should sort things out first. While it is true that the White Fang is presenting itself as a major threat, I don't think that the Radham attacks recently are random. Especially not with those tekkamen you guys have been talking about."

Silence overcame them as they saw the true problem they had now. The White Fang with Libra were already making moves against the Earth. But the Radham attack tactics would only get worse if they didn't do something about them now.

"It would appear that we have different enemies." Heero stated.

* * *

_Space_

Relena sat in silence in the passenger area of the shuttle. Her destination and mission was clear. She had to reach her brother and talk him out of fighting against the Earth. It didn't make sense as to why he would even do so. It probably would have made more sense if he were using his former alias, Zechs Marquise. But he was using his true name here; Milliardo Peacecraft. She turned toward the window and looked out at the drifting earth.

_"Never forget how beautiful the Earth looks from afar."_

_'Father'_ Relena sighed. _'Is this how you felt, trying to stop meaningless violence and promote peace?'_ She turned her head away. She had to be ready for her confrontation with Milliardo. She had to talk him out of this…madness. But she didn't know if she could do it. She was only one person. She wasn't even the Queen of the Earth Sphere anymore. One person against an entire army. _'No. I must.'_ She had to do something about this regardless. She had to be strong.

"Heero…"

* * *

_Circus, Colony L3_

Katherine sat near the lion cage, petting the huge cat as she waited for her turn to perform. The big cat growled softly as she stroked it mane.

"There, there now." she whispered. "With Trowa gone, you must be lonely." In truth, she was the one that missed her brother since his departure with Quatre. He barely came back to her last time and when he did, he had lost his memories. Now he was gone, to fight once again. And that made it harder for her because there was a good chance that he wouldn't come back.

"Katherine!"

Hearing the ringmaster's call, Katherine stood up as he approached from the inner tent.

"Yes?"

"About this next event…" he started. But before he could continue with what he wanted to say, the lion had jumped up against the cage, roaring aloud. Katherine backed away and soon all the animals when crazy.

"Boss. What…?"

Her unfinished question was soon answered when sounds of rocket fire roared from the outside. The two of them went outside to look and found themselves cornered in by a group of Taurus Sol-Tekkas.

"Don't try anything!" a voice came out from one of the Sol-Tekka. "We, the space arms of OZ are now occupying this colony."

Since the destruction of the space fortress Barge and the takeover of the lunar base, the remaining OZ forces in space were scattered across. Cornered in by both the White Fang and unexpected attacks from Radham, the soldiers became desperate. So desperate that they resorted to capturing a colony with the use of the Dolls.

"What? How dare they..."

A transmission soon announced from the lead soldier, the one who had spoke to Katherine earlier. "To the White Fang. We, the OZ space forces, now occupy L-3's C421 Colony. We demand that you return that what you took from us by force - the Libra." The cannon slowly rose up to the circus tent. "If you refuse, we cannot guarantee the safety of these colonists."

* * *

_Unknown_

Within the deep abyss of the unknown, Slayer and Dead walked through the path littered with flashing lights and pulsating blobs. There were also areas in it that appeared to be rejuvenating and healing from some sort of massive damage. Shirken, Shrapnel and Sliver followed them from further behind while Dead followed close to his dark sister from behind.

"What is this place?"

Slayer didn't stop walking as she answered him. "This is our home for the time being. When Earth becomes ours, that will become our home."

Dead remained silent after that, taking in her words. He knew what she meant. It would be what was almost accomplished during the First Radham War. The Radham would turn everyone on Earth into tekkamen. Slayer soon stopped before a massive column-like wall and Dead ceased in his movement as well. He heard the steps of the other tekkamen stop from behind and soon Slayer knelt down. As Dead looked at her in confusion, a towering image flashed before them.

"Welcome back, my children."

"Master. This is the one I informed you about." Slayer spoke. She stood up, keeping her head lowered and she motioned to Dead. "My brother, Tekkaman Dead."

The figure shifted slightly, indicating that it was now looking at him. "Welcome, Tekkaman Dead."

Dead was simply in awe at the sight of the figure and remained still. Slayer looked over at him and chuckled.

"It's okay, Dead. No need to be getting shy now."

Dead looked over at her and then back. The giant figure continued to gaze down at him awhile longer and then looked back over to Slayer.

"Are you sure about him? Can he really be one of us?"

Slayer turned to her master, "Yes, he can. He has fought the Space Knights once already and nearly crippled them. He even bested Tekkaman Blade."

"Nevertheless, he was defeated and then he joined the Space Knights. How can I trust one who loyalties change?"

"But master…"

The creature suddenly boomed. "Silence!"

Slayer lowered her head, much to Dead's surprise. Whoever this creature was, he was definitely not shy about showing who was the boss. Nevertheless, he continued, in a lower tone.

"He must prove himself, no?"

Slayer nodded from her lowered position. "Yes, master."

The creature returned his attention to Dead. "A warrior of your power and skill would add nicely to our ranks. But loyalty is vital, don't you think Dead?"

Dead nodded slowly and the creature continued. "Then you will carry out an assignment to prove your worth. You are to go and destroy the Space Knight Command Center. It has recently suffered damage thanks to Sliver, but it must be complete. Do this and you will be one of us."

Dead remained silent. _'Attack the Command Center?'_ This was obviously a test to prove his loyalty; that was clear from the start. But could he really go back there and destroy the place and the people that took him in? His fist clenched for a moment, but when he looked over at Slayer, he saw her nod to him reassuringly. His hand unclenched and then he knelt down and bowed to the figure.

"As you wish…master."

* * *

_Libra_

"Damn you OZ! How cowardly can you get?"

The bridge crew on the Libra had just been informed of the OZ takeover of the colony. At this, Quinze erupted with anger at the act done by the soldiers.

"We can't abandon them!" one of the crewmembers stated.

A second crewman chimed in. "But we can't just hand over this ship either."

A burst of laughter suddenly interrupts them. Turning to the source, they found that it was Dorothy, who was chuckling aloud.

"It means we're one step closer to victory. Right, Mr. Milliardo?"

Quinze blinked at the young girl. "What do you mean, Miss Dorothy?"

Dorothy ceased her laughter, but continued to smile. "They chose to act foolishly and take hostages. The colonists will surely direct their anger towards OZ now."

Milliardo, who had silent throughout the entire exchange, ordered. "Direct the Libra towards C421. We'll be firing in addition to the course change. Notify all those involved."

The crewman was shocked by the order, but nevertheless. "Roger..."

Shocked as well, Quinze wheeled on the commander. "Commander Milliardo! If we use the array on OZ, we'll annihilate the colony as well!"

"This is war." Dorothy responded to his outburst. "You must be prepared to sacrifice anything for victory."

Quinze looked back at Milliardo and saw that he said nothing in protest, which only meant that he agreed with Dorothy. They were going to the colony. And they were going to use their most destructive weapon.

* * *

_Peacemillion_

The group was all listening to the announcement made by the OZ soldiers about the capture of the colony. Needless to say, that just made things worse at that moment.

"They've gotten indiscriminate." Duo muttered.

Quatre nodded in agreement. "Without anywhere to run, they've been cornered by the White Fang."

Wufei folded his arms. "That's no surprise. That's the only thing weaklings who rely on mobile dolls can manage."

"What's going to happen now?" Yumi wondered aloud.

"Zechs won't bend to their will." Heero answered simply. "The colony will be abandoned."

Anita turned to him. "But...the colonists..."

"Will be left behind as well."

"Zechs..." Noin whispered to herself. This just didn't make sense to her. Everything that Zechs was doing now was so different than from what she knew him to be. _'How could he have changed so much? There...must be a reason...' _Suddenly, one of the crewmen called up from his station.

"Hey. Libra's heading toward the colony now."

Heero turned his head to the screen, which showed the Libra's flight path. "Only changed its course? They must be planning to used their main array."

"Are they going to destroy the colony as well?" Duo exclaimed.

"That's insane!" Hayato added.

Noin shook her head. "That can't be. Zechs isn't like that."

Quatre turned to her and softly said. "I can understand your desire to believe in him, but he IS the leader of the White Fang."

Suddenly, Trowa, who had been silent throughout the entire exchange, walked away from where had been sitting and exited toward the docking bay. The others watched him in surprise until Quatre looked where he at where he had been sitting. It was a recording of the OZ soldier's earlier demands. But what Quatre saw were some of the hostages that were being behind them and one person caught his attention just as it did Trowa's.

_Katherine..._

"He's going to save Katherine."

Duo looked over at him and after a minute of thought, he grinned. "I guess that means we're going too, eh?"

"There's no point in intervening." Wufei replied.

Quatre blinked at the response, but moved for the exit. "Well, I'm going anyway."

As Duo and Quatre walked out after their comrade, Yumi got up from her seat as well. "I'll go too."

"Hold it Yumi." Noal called. "Wufei is right. There's no reason in going."

Yumi frowned slightly. "But they may need our help. I'm going." With that, Yumi stopped out after the other, with Hayato following her as usual.

"Aren't you worried about them?" Sally asked Noal.

Noal shrugged. "They may be kids, but they can handle themselves. Probably better than we can."

"What if Libra chooses to fire?"

"We aren't going to be the ones to stop it." Heero answered.

* * *

_Space Knight Command Center_

Around the base, work was being done to repair the center from the damage of the earlier Radham attack. Fortunately, the construction crews were already ready before hand and the repairs were nearly complete. In the command room, Honda had entered in to deliver the reports on the repairs to Aki while Milla sat at one of the computer terminals, doing her own work.

"I've got to say." Honda spoke out after the delivery. "I didn't expect things to be this easy."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Trieze actually leaving us be."

Aki tilted her head a bit. "Trieze has his own problems to deal with. Paranoia just isn't one of them.

"Heh, I see your point." He looked up at the main screen. "So what now?"

Aki's gaze mirrored his toward the screen. "We have to find the others and tell them it's safe to come back now."

"That's going to be difficult." Milla called out. "They're all scattered around space. And I don't think we have the resources to find them all."

"Hey. I have something on radar." Milla said suddenly. The two of them looked over at her as she brought the image up on radar. From the far side of the base, a single figure was making a slow stride straight toward them. Milla zoomed in on the figure until they were able to identify it.

"It's Dead End."

Honda let out a sigh. "Well that's one down."

Aki however, kept her eyes glued to the screen. "Wait. Something's wrong. Why is he in his tekka-mode?"

Dead continued his walk toward the base. When he reached a certain distance though, he raised his clawed-armored hand and a slew of energy beam shot out and hit the command center. Newly repaired formations now crashed to the ground as fresh debris. The three knights looked on in surprise.

"What? He's attacking us?" Milla exclaimed.

"That's not all." The older man muttered. "Look."

From behind Dead, new, larger figures emerged behind him and stomped toward the base, shrieking and roaring as they charged in to attack.

"Radham?" Milla cried out. "He's joined the Radham?"

Aki soon went into full commander mode and hit the intercom. "All crews report to their battlestations immediately." Turning to Honda, she stood out of her seat. "Honda, is Pegasus ready?"

"Not yet. The power regulator in it is still in flux. It'll take a day for it to sort out."

Aki frowned briefly before she lifted her hand, summoning her ruby crystal. "Then I'll have to make this quick then."

Milla jumped up. "Aki, no. Last time you also didn't make it back."

Aki gazed up at the screen and the attacking Radham. "I just need to hold myself together long enough to stop them."

"But…Dead…"

"There's no other choice." she replied. Focusing herself onto the task at hand, she lifted the crystal high in the air. The crystal unfolded into its triangular shape and shone as she summoned its power.

_"Tek-Setta!"_

* * *

_Romefeller_

"Rejoice, your Excellency. We will recover the Libra. And then we'll dispatch-"

The transmission soon cut off and Trieze moved away. The OZ soldiers had informed him of the takeover but Trieze was less than pleased with them. Moving toward the window, he gazed out into the sky.

"Is it all right to leave it like that?" an aide asked him from behind.

Trieze lowered his head slightly. "I'm away for just a short while and OZ changes like this?"

The aide repeats his action, only lowers his head more. "Yes, sir."

Turning inside, Trieze looked back at the communication terminal. "I do not give them permission to use the name of OZ, this time." His eyes narrowed. "Tell them thusly."

* * *

_Colony L3_

"Excommunicated! What do you mean?"

The soldier informed his commander of the decision made by Trieze. Unfortunately, it wasn't what they expected. They had just been cut off and were now declared rebels.

"We're doing this for his Excellency!" he raved. "Why? Why won't he accept what we're doing? Does he mean to let the White Fangs gain control of space?"

Suddenly, another soldier rushed over to them. "Sir, we have trouble. Our dolls are being attacked. There appears to be gundam involved."

"A...gundam!"

True to those words, outside the colony, the Sol-Tekka Dolls were locked in a fierce battle with Tekkaman Sandrock, Tekkaman Hiver and Trowa, who was using a Taurus Sol-Tekka. Though Sandrock and Hiver did most of the fighting, they only backed up Trowa, who was in the thick of the fighting. Sandrock allowed Trowa to fight, but made sure that no harm to his comrade. However, that was proving to be difficult with the number of Dolls that were attacking them not to mention the number of disrupter crystals that were actively weakening him. Also, they were working hard to keep the fight from getting closer to the colony.

As the fight raged on, Trowa used his piloting skills to blast away the dolls with the energy cannon. Yet he found himself in question. He still felt the blank in his mind that came when he fought in the Sol-Tekka. Not as to where he developed the skills for it, but why he was even piloting it at all. He felt...slow, and sluggish. Blasting away the dolls as he was felt normal, but there was something amiss. As if he could do so much more.

Inside the colony, the colonists were being herded together by the soldiers inside. With the gundam battling outside, they were forced to rethink their strategy in the case that it didn't go their way.

"Get in line!" One of the soldiers barked. "Keep the line straight!"

Another explosion was heard from outside, causing him to look upward. "That's going on outside?"

"I hear that a gundam is fighting the dolls out there." the soldier next to him commented.

From the line, Katherine overheard their conversation. "A gundam?"

Fron in front of her, the ringmaster turned his head. "What about them?"

"I don't know. But I'm getting tired of this." Frustrated, Katherine stepped out and confronted the soldiers. "We just want to live in peace."

The soldiers turned to her. "You! We told you no talking!"

But Katherine didn't back down. "Your bluff's not working!"

Enraged, the soldier snapped his arm up and swung, but before the blow could hit, the ringmaster stepped in the way and was floored by the blow. Katherine gasped and knelt down to him.

"Boss!"

That's enough Katherine." he beckoned as he came up from the floor. "Just do as they say."

Katherine seemed to concede and the soldier moved away disgruntled. However, she wasn't finished speaking.

"But...This is wrong! Trying to achieve everything through force!"

He nodded. "You're absolutely right. But no one will set things right. People want to live, regardless of it." His eyes rose to the colony sky. "But Trowa...Trowa is risking his life to find what is right. That is why he fights, regardless of the danger."

"Trowa..."

Back outside, the battle was intensifying between the Dolls, Sandrock and Trowa. Unfortunately for them though, the battle had come right over the colony and the two fighters were now more cautious in attacks, both theirs and the Dolls. Trowa stationed himself on the colony, firing defensively at the enemy while Sandrock flew through the thick of the swarm, slicing them up before they could turn their attention to Trowa. Within one of the manned Sol-Tekka's…

"Why has a gundam appeared here? And a Space Knight too? Have they joined with the White Fang?" Seeing this outraged the pilot and he pointed his gun at the colony.

"Then they've abandoned the colony. Their deaths are on your heads!"

The gun was suddenly sliced away and the soldier turned to see Hiver diving right at him, ready to impale him. The soldier let out a cry and Hiver suddenly paused. _'This one…isn't a doll.'_ Hiver noticed with surprise. It hadn't occurred to her that she might have been fighting manned units as well. _'What…'_ Thought of possible deaths entered her mind now. It wasn't like with the Radham. These were human beings. Also, she saw that Trowa and Sandrock were fighting without such a restraint. _'Could they not be aware? Or…are they…and they don't care?'_ Stunned, Hiver floated away and then flew off leaving the OZ soldier surprised that he was still alive.

"What?"

Meanwhile Trowa was doing well on his own, but the Dolls were beginning to overwhelm him. Thanks to his unconscious skill, he was able to skip across and dodge the energy beams that came at him, but all it did was hammer in on the colony. Acting fast, Trowa fired a salvo of beams with his cannon, taking out four of them consecutively. But he still felt…something was of. He was moving far slower than he remembered. _'Than I…remember…'_ He began to struggle with his mind briefly before he cleared his thoughts. However, it proved a little late as a beam hit him from the side.

"Trowa!"

Hiver shot over to Trowa to see if he was okay. Fortunately he was, but the blast had damaged his boosters, leaving him without the ability to fly and grounded to the colony. The two of them looked up to see the remained horde of Dolls descending upon them and firing, hitting the colony in the process.

"Go on." Trowa told her. "I'll be okay here."

Hiver turned to him in question, but let it go and flew back off into the fight to join Sandrock. Trowa frowned to himself as he realized that he had been distracted by something. He began to fire back when his 'distraction' floated right up in front of him. Blinking, Trowa released the control and grabbed it.

"My…crystal…."

Sandrock overheard the light call of his friend through his tekka-set and realized that Trowa recalled his crystal. 'Does he remember?' But even if he did, Trowa wouldn't be able to transform. The disrupters on the Dolls would prevent him from doing so and may even shatter the crystal itself. Flaring his boosters, Sandrock shot through the attacking Dolls and closed in on his comrade. A group of Dolls cut off his approach and fired at the incoming tekkaman.

"Stand aside now!"

Sandrock suddenly burst into a flare of golden energy and shot straight through them, turning them into debris with his crystal hawk. Sandrock continued to soar toward the colony, seemingly about to hit it. But in a flash, his crystal hawk ceased and Sandrock made a sharp turn straight at Trowa. Trowa turned in surprise as Sandrock suddenly grabbed hold of him and propelled him off the side of the colony. Hiver, who had changed from attacking to diverting the attacks, looked at Sandrock in shock at his act, but then Sandrock turned back to the attacking Dolls and gripped his lancers. The curved weapon shimmered and soon glowed in burning red. Then with a cry, Sandrock hurled the lancer and they sliced right through every Doll they came in contact with. Turning back to the drifting Trowa, Sandrock cried out.

"Trowa, Tek-Set now!"

Trowa blinked, but soon realized what Sandrock had done. By pushing him away, he moved Trowa out of the way of the disrupter crystals. At the same time, Sandrock kept them occupied on him in order to give him time. _'Time for what?'_ Trowa looked back at his crystal. He didn't remember how he had even called it forth, but something deep in him told him to do something. Something that was a part of him. Looking at the colony, he realized he had to act now if he was to save it and Katherine.

"Tek…_Tek-Setta!_"

The crystal flashed to life and the Sol-Tekka exploded in a orange-red light. The light streaked across the sky back toward the colony, where Trowa was endowed once again with his gundamium armor, quantum energy weapons, and superhuman power, transforming him in the gundam tekkaman Heavyarm. The eyes of the tekkaman shimmered and he raised his key weapon; an energy gatling gun. Heavyarm wasted no time in firing upon the Dolls, tearing them to shreds with his weapon. With the combined efforts of the tekkamen, the Dolls were soon destroyed.

"Trowa." Sandrock called to him. "Are you alright?"

Heavyarm seemed to remain still for a moment and then looked over at Sandrock.

_"Return to the kind person that you once were. Please..."_

"You've returned to the kind person you were, Quatre."

Within his armor, Quatre blinked in surprise. "Trowa. Your memories…they've returned."

Heavyarm nodded. "Let's go. Katherine is waiting for us."

_Inside the colony…_

"What? The Taurus units have been completely destroyed?" When the soldier verified this, the commander frowned. "Then we'll use the colonists as hostages until we get out. Use extreme caution while moving the Taurus's to the outer hatch."

Suddenly, a heavy thud was heard from outside. The commander and the soldier exited out to see a pile of smoke in the distance where the Sol-Tekka guards once stood. One of them escaped the smoke, firing in it, but it was suddenly sliced apart by an unseen force

"What the hell…!"

"Hell is a good choice of words." a voice came up from within. From before the fallen Sol-Tekka, a dark figure materialized from out of nowhere, bearing a wicked scythe lancer and armored wings. The figure was all too familiar to them. Gundam Tekkaman Hellscythe.

"Sorry for sneaking in like this, but it just happens to be my specialty." Hellscythe joked shortly. His voice soon changed angrily and he menacingly approached them with his scythe. "You won't harm the colonies anymore."

The soldiers, now weaponless, raised their hands and immediately surrendered. Hiver and Sandrock joined him moments later and the OZ soldiers were all subdued. The colonists were now free and Katherine came over to see Trowa. Heavyarm simply looked over at her and nodded, to which she nodded back. However…

"Yumi, can you hear me?" Hayato called through the communication line.

Hiver answered back. "Yeah. What's wrong?"

"Libra's still coming!"

* * *

Tekkaman Dead stood in his place outside the command center, letting the Radham do most of the attacking. He knew that the others weren't there, but expected more resistance. After all, the Space Knights seemed to excel in that category. It was one of the things he learned… Dead lowered his head, trying to dismiss the thoughts of companionship that he had developed here. Although his best friend was David, he still had one or two fond thoughts of the others. Even Natasha, who he believed he could never forgive at one time for what her father did. But what her father did had nothing to do with her.

_'Stop it!'_ he growled to himself. He was doing this to be with his sister. She was his family and that was that. Her enemies were his. As his thoughts were locked in this struggle, an explosion soon caught his attention. Realizing that it was a Radham that had exploded, he saw that he was right about the power of the Space Knights. Lift his head, he saw her. A sole crimson tekkaman that was ripping right through the horde of Radham and tearing them to pieces, without a trace of mercy.

_'Red Devil…'_

That name… It was what he had called her long ago and given the way she fought, that name was more than justified. He remembered the anger and hatred he felt for the Space Knights then and he began to use that to dispel the nagging thoughts that had been stopping him. Clenching his sword-lancer, his boosters opened and flared to life.

_'Time to give the devil…her due!'_

Yet as he propelled himself into the fight, he was unaware of the single human figure that was watching the battle from afar. A large, burly man watched the oncoming battle with interest. _'Dead is fighting as he said he would. And as long as he does, he won't have to worry about me.'_ The figure grinned, all the while holding his own tekka-set crystal.

* * *

_Libra _

The massive battlestation moved into position, seemingly eclipsing the colony before it. On the bridge, the crews went to work on their assignments until finally…

"Main array charge is complete. We can fire at any time."

Milliardo kept his gaze on the screen, showing the colony in sight. Just then, another crewman called out.

"Wait! There's a civilian shuttle at 1 o'clock!"

Quinze blinked in surprise. "What!"

The screen switched over to the side of the colony, where the Earth was clearly seen in the background. Indeed, a small shuttle was flying right toward the battlestation. The screen soon flickered and the face of Relena came up.

"Brother... this is Relena."

Dorothy couldn't help but grin broadly. _'Just as I'd thought.__ You've finally come, Miss Relena. But you're too late.'_ Millardo simply stared at the screen at his sister.

"What you're doing is wrong." she stated simply.

_'Right to the point'_ Milliardo thought. However, he didn't have time for this right now. Staring coolly at her, he warned. "Pull back, Relena."

The young woman returned the gaze equally. "No, I won't"

"Your shuttle is no obstacle for the main array." Milliardo spoke back. "Your death will be in vain."

"I don't care." Relena shot back. "But let me say this. Using all this force to conquer people... Aren't you ashamed to use the Peacecraft name?"

Milliardo was silent for a moment and then sighed. "Is that all you have to say?"

"Brother!"

Cutting her off, the silver-haired commander ordered. "Fire the array. Begin the countdown. "

* * *

_Peacemillion_

"We've liberated the colony!" Hellscythe called back from the colony. "Tell the White Fang to stop their attack!"

Nearby, Wufei answered him. "No need to. What you did was a waste of time."

"What?"

Heero added on to Wufei's comment. "Libra was never targeting the colony."

The disbelief was clear in the dark tekkaman's voice. "Then...where...? What the heck…?"

* * *

_Libra _

"Ten seconds remaining."

Relena began to plea to him. "Brother! Why are you attacking the colonies! Stop this please! Open your eyes!"

"My eyes are open."

"3... 2... 1... 0!"

The center of the battlestation began to shimmer and sparkle with energy. The core glowed in a blue-white light, shining off the entire front of the station.

"Brother!"

"Fire."

A massive beam erupted out and flew straight. Relena's eyes widened as the beam closed in… and missed her completely. The beam continued onward, passing the colony as well and heading straight for Earth. The beam just barely nicked the Space Ring and smashed down onto a remote area of the Earth, exploding with tremendous force.

"They missed?" Sally said in disbelief.

Noin was equally confused. "Was that a warning shot?"

No.…Nothing like that." Heero said.

Wufei nodded. "The Libra targeted the earth."

From behind, Noal looked down and sighed. "Is this truly what it has come down to? Fighting the Radham and the White Fang?"

"It's troubling." Anita added. "To fight against the Radham and humans."

Unknown to them all, D-Boy had also been watching from behind. Things were more than what they seemed and he hoped that they would be able to sort it out before it was too late. But the gundam are dead set in fight against the White Fang and after Milliardo display of power with the Libra, they were justified in doing so. But the Radham were moving in the shadows now, indicating that something big was on the horizon and it may threaten all of them.

"Different enemies…"

Within the colony, the tekkamen too were stunned by the display of the Libra and its target as well.

"Now they've done it." Hellscythe muttered.

"Are we truly powerless?" Sandrock added with despair.

"Perhaps."

Nearby, Katherine simply gazed at Heavyarm, who made the aforementioned comment. _'I believe in you.'_ She thought, placing her hands together. _'Don't let this miserable war continue any longer. And somehow... create a world of peace for us.'_

Aboard the Libra, Dorothy gloated at the Libra's sheer power.

"Incredible! People must now tremble at the sight of this power we possess. The test of the main array was a great success!

Milliardo however, kept his voice neutral. "That was not a test. It's a challenge…issued to Treize."

Dorothy reigned in on her enthusiasm a notch and nodded to him. "Yes, of course."

Quinze turned in from the terminal. "The main array's regulator circuit appears to have overloaded. We're currently compensating for it now."

Milliardo turned to him. "Make it quick. The enemy will come soon."

"The enemy?" Quinze questioned. "And who would that be?"

Turning his head back to the screen, Milliardo answered him. "The gundams."

From outside, Relena's shuttle continued to approach the Libra, with Relena having every intent in persuading her brother from stopping this madness before it went too far. But even she couldn't help the fact…that it already has.

* * *

_Dead End battles Aki, but his indecision puts him in the target path of Tekkaman Shrapnel. Relena, now a captive aboard the Libra, continues to try to persuade her brother to stop fighting, but Milliardo is dead set in fighting against the earth. The Space Knight and gundam realize that their own hesitations and reasons for fighting may put them at odds and to settle it, a duel is initiated between Heero and D-Boy. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Odds and Evens_


	57. Odds and Evens

Disclaimer: See previous chapter

Chap. 57

_**Shhkkkkkkk!**_

Aki cut down another Radham monster in the air with her lancer. As the beast fell down in pieces, Aki was suddenly aware of the high-speeding object that was coming at her. Whipping her head toward the source, she readied her lancer and no sooner than she did than a loud clash rang out, when her lancer clashed with Dead's

"Dead, what are you doing?"

Dead gave no reply as he pulled pack and struck at her again. Aki twirled her lancer and deflected the next blow, but Dead rushed forward and hit her with his shoulder. His boosters then ignited and propelled them both into the side of the Command Center. Aki gave out a low moan, but managed to kick Dead back. Her own boosters then flared to life and she rushed toward him. Dead saw her approach and reflexively slashed out, but Aki suddenly shot upward into the air. She twirled around, spun her lancer high in the air and struck down hard. Dead turned and defended, but he didn't expect her strike to come so powerfully. Come to think of it, her tekka-mode did look different to him. Her usual robes were missing, exposing the armor beneath. Ignoring it, Dead struggled and finally pushed her back into the air. Aki shot upward and Dead pursued. Streaks of light slashed across the air as they attacked and counter-attacked each other and Dead saw that the Chief was a lot more of a challenge than he thought. She managed to deflect many of his attacks and come back with a few of her own. It was almost like when he fought Blade. For a minute, Dead felt impressed by her fighting spirit, but he forced himself to dispel this in order to tap into his rage. _'She is my enemy. She is my enemy. She is the Red Devil.'_

"Ngggaaahhhhh!"

Dead suddenly swooped at her with oppressive force, energy shimmering around his body. Aki was caught off-guard and was mauled by the dark crystal hawk. Dead swooped upward in the air and came in for another pass. Again, the Scarlet tekkaman was engulfed in it and hurled aside on the ground. Dead swooped upward and returned once again. Aki staggered on her feet, but leveled her lancer in her hands. The crystal hawk closed in and Aki suddenly charged at him with a cry. Dead was surprised by this act and Aki swung her lancer just as the energy hit. The result was a blast of energy between them and followed by a figure crashing to the ground. Moments later, another hopped out from the sky and turned to their fallen opponent.

"Dead. Stop this."

Dead staggered up to his feet, completely surprised by what had happened. Somehow, the Chief had broken thorough his energy field with a simple strike. That was more than just skill. She was more powerful that she was letting on. It felt the same way with Blade. Even though he had to initial advantage in their fight, he always felt that there was more to the white tekkaman than he let on. In the end, it wasn't necessary for him, but Dead End knew there was more power that he hadn't displayed. It was the same here. And he used that to fuel what little rage he held.

"Yaahhhhhhaaaaaaaa!"

Dead barreled his way at Aki and once again tackled into her. The two bodies flew toward the Command Center and Aki saw that she was about to be smashed again. Grabbing hold of Dead, her boosters ignited as well and with great effort, she twisted herself and Dead around, smashing him into the Command Center as well. But the force of the impact was great and both of them smashed right into the base itself. Aki arose from the rubble and debris, her head crystal flashing wildly.

'_I don't have much time.'_

Looking aside, she saw Dead practically exploded out of the rubble and lifted his lancer ready to attack.

"Wait."

Dead didn't know why, but he halted his advance. Aki was half-surprised, but continued on.

"Are you truly that scared?"

Dead seemed to tremble, but whether it was out of rage or uncertainty, she didn't know. Neither did he for that matter. The rage he had been creating for himself was hollow. He never liked Aki much, but he did have a respect for her. And her question baffled him. It sounded just like the question Blade had asked him at their last battle years ago. _"Are you really that sad?"_ And just like then, Dead answered the same way.

"What?"

Aki managed to straighten up. "Slayer. Your sister. You're afraid of what will happen if you choose to fight her."

"What do you know?" Dead snapped back immediately. "You can't possibly understand."

"Perhaps not." Aki replied. "But I've seen it before. When the Radham first invaded, it was Tekkaman Blade who fought them off. But to do so, he had to fight his own family. His worse enemy was his own twin brother." Her armored head lowered slightly as did her voice. "I saw the look on his face, the hurt in his eyes every time he went out to fight. He didn't say it, but there were times where he wanted to give up because of it. He was afraid of fighting them, not because of defeat, but because of victory. The price of victory would be for him to kill his own family."

Beneath the armor, Dead's eys widened. _'His own…family?'_ Very few knew about Blade's connection to the invaders of the First Radham War. Aki lifted her head as she continued speaking. "But he faced his fears and conquered them. Now it is your turn, Dead End. Will you face your fears?"

Dead was now more unsure of himself than ever. The truth was that he was afraid of fighting her. He had grieved over his sister for so long and now that she had returned, he didn't want to lose her. But to let the Radham do as they please would mean the destruction of all humankind. Dead gave no reply, but he did lower his lancer. Aki took this as a good sign and was about to approach when a flash of light caught her attention from outside.

"Dead! Look out!"

Dead whirled around behind him only to be engulfed by a stream of explosions that blew up across the side of the command center. Dead was hurled to the floor and nearly into Aki. Aki managed to grab Dead before he flew too far away, but he his armor was badly damaged by the blast.

"Dead. Dead!"

"He's done for."

Aki looked up as a new figure strode into the command center. The figure was heavily armored and holding a axe lancer in his hands.

"Identify yourself."

"I am Tekkaman Shrapnel. You are doomed."

* * *

_Libra_

On the bridge of the Libra, the exit doors opened up from behind, revealing Relena Peacecraft, with Dorothy just behind her. Dorothy lent her hand forward and beckoned.

"Go ahead, Miss Relena."

Relena strode into the bridge, keeping her eyes centered on the main chair in the middle and the person sitting in it. Milliardo Peacecraft; leader of the White Fang, and her brother.

"The Earth only seems beautiful because we have the chance to see it like this, from outer space." Milliardo quietly stated as she came toward him from behind. "Those on Earth can't possibly appreciate its true beauty."

Relena floated over to the side of the chair. "Are you suggesting all of humanity should come up into outer space?"

"Those who don't want come here certainly don't have to." he answered. Then he added. "I won't simply ignore powers on Earth that are a threat to peace here in space."

"Surely that's no reason to become the largest threat to peace yourself though." Relena countered. "The time has come for Earth and Space to discard all their weapons."

Milliardo was unfazed. "No. This isn't the time for your world of total pacifism. Therefore outer space must first direct all its force against the people on the Earth using the battleship Libra."

"No. You're mistaken Milliardo." Relena retorted. "That would only lead to our mutual destruction."

The older Peacecraft shut his eyes softly. "How would you know?"

"I know that because I am Relena Peacecraft." Indeed, if anything, her lineage told her that peace was the only solution for all of mankind. To do otherwise would destroy them, either by other powers or the alien Radham.

"My dear Relena…" Millardo opened his eyes and then stood up from the seat. Relena was a bit surprised by this and she nearly stepped back as he approached her. But then Milliardo put his arms around her in a loose embrace. "You've grown up strong Relena." he said with a light smile. "But your strength is no longer needed. I want you at least to remain a kind woman."

Relena was quiet for a moment and then she lowered her head. "In truth I don't even know whether I'm being held in the arms of Milliardo, the kind brother that I once knew…" She heard Milliardo's low growl, but continued. "Or in the bloodstained hands of Zechs Marquize."

Milliardo sighed mentally. "If you want to return to the Earth, I'm not going to stop you. If you want to stay in space, I'll find you a safe place to live in a colony."

She broke out of his embrace and stared up at him. "I am staying right where I am, until you change your mind."

'_Stubborn. But I expected no less from a Peacecraft.'_ Looking over to the side, he called to Dorothy. "Do me a favor. Show Relena to the officer's room, Dorothy."

"Right away." Dorothy moved next to Relena as Milliardo stepped back into the command seat. Placing her hands on Relena's shoulders, she motioned. "Let's be on our way, Miss Relena. It'd be wiser to continue this discussion after you've had some rest."

Relena looked over at Dorothy for a moment and then back at Milliardo. She wanted to say more to him, but judging by the look on his face, this discussion had ended. _'For now…'_ Back to Dorothy. "Perhaps you're right. Show me the way then."

"Sure."

As Dorothy led Relena back out the bridge, Milliardo glanced over at his second-in-command. "Do you consider me a weak man, Kanz?"

The elder man answered. "On the contrary, if you hadn't been looking out for someone, I wouldn't have welcomed you as the White Fang leader."

"Thank you for saying so." With that, he returned his gaze to the image of the Earth.

_'Beautiful… It's almost a shame really…'_

* * *

_Peacemillion_

The gundams and Space Knights have reassembled in the main deck of the battlestation. After the incident with the colony, the group has seen what Milliardo intends to do and is now debating over their next move.

"Now then." Howard started. "How shall we proceed?"

"Destroy Libra. That simple." Wufei answered.

"But will that end the war though?" Sally questioned.

Quatre looked up from the monitor. "No, it won't. On Earth, Trieze is preparing to send a military force into space." He looked back at the screen. "The colonies will have to retaliate against that."

"But we can't just leave Libra." Duo proclaimed. He then raised his hand. "I agree that we should destroy it."

"Sure thing, Duo." Trowa agreed. He then added. "But can we destroy it?"

"Are you saying we take on Zechs as our enemy?" Noin replied, trying slightly to defend her comrade.

Duo looked away and countered. "Are you saying that that guy is our ally?"

"Well…"

"I can't…"

The group soon turned to the speaker, who was Yumi. She was sitting in one of the seats with her head down. Hayato gave her a questioning look. "Yumi?"

Yumi stuttered her words a bit. "I almost killed someone out there yesterday. A human… I…"

"We have to do what needs to be done."

"I'm not like you." Yumi shot back, tears beginning to trickle in her eyes. "I'm a Space Knight. I fight against the Radham, not other human beings. I don't want to be a murderer!"

"Yumi…" Anita whispered.

Trowa spoke up. "The Radham are dangerous, yes. But our present enemy right now is the White Fang and the Libra. If we don't stop them, many more people will die."

"What's the point?"

The new speaker was Natasha, who decided now to voice her thoughts in. "I have to agree with Yumi on this. Fighting other humans is foolish while we have to deal with the Radham also. We trained to save humanity, not destroy it."

"I understand your feelings." Quatre voiced quietly. "But we can't just let the White Fang be."

Duo lay back in the seat. "Maybe we should split up and take to each our own."

"Separating would only prove fruitless." Sally replied. "We need to stay together if we are to survive any of this."

"So who is our real enemy?"

Noal shook his head at the situation. "It shouldn't have to come down to this. What's your take on this, D? D?"

Turning to the Space Knight leader, he found that D-Boy was still against the wall, looking straight ahead at Heero. His tekka-set crystal was lightly shimmering on his forehead. The others noticed this as well and also saw Heero doing the same thing, albeit opposite and looking at D-Boy

"Are you guys alright?" Goliate asked tentatively.

D-Boy didn't turn to him, but he spoke. "Is that the only way?" Looking over at Heero, they noticed that he nodded and his tekka-set crystal had formed in his hand. D saw this and his own crystal materialized. "Very well. _Tek-Setta!_"

The others were in shock as D- Boy burst into energy and shot out, but not as shocked as when Heero followed suit soon afterward.

_"Zero Tek-Setta!"_

The energies shot out through the station and materialized outside, both armored warriors of great power.

"Tekkaman Blade!"

Tekkaman Zero!"

Without a second delay, Zero swooped straight at Blade with his sword lancer. Blade brought his twin lancer to bear and clashed with Zero. The two struggled against each other, backed away and struck at each other again. They repeated this a third time and Zero kicked out, hitting Blade in the chest. Blade shot back briefly and suddenly charged at Zero. Zero blocked the attack and their lancers locked. Backing away, both tekkamen shot around the space above the Peacemillion in bright streaks of light.

"What the…?" David asked as they all watched the battle above. "What the heck are they doing?"

"D-Boy! Heero, stop this!" Yumi cried. "You shouldn't be fighting each other."

Wufei watched the fight as well, but with knowledge of its purpose. "It's the only way it can be settled now. Neither one of us can decide on whom our enemy is, so they will."

David was just as confused as Yumi. "By fighting each other?"

"When words fail, action must be taken." Wufei answered. "They must fight to find out who the greater threat is."

"But…but…" Yumi stammered.

"There's nothing that can be done now." Noal said, cutting her off. "We can only wait."

* * *

_Libra _

Dorthy entered the officers' lounge to find Relena sitting in her seat deep in thought. With a smirk, Dorothy walked in and leaned in front of her. _'Let the games begin.'_

"So tell me, have you thought of a way to persuade Mr. Milliardo?

"I'm not going to persuade him." Relena replied. "I must convince him."

Moving back, Dorothy placed her hands on her hips. "It's impossible to convince him, because Mr. Milliardo is dead serious about destroying the Earth."

Relena frowned. "I just can't believe my brother is actually thinking of initiating another war though."

"There will be another war, just as Mr. Trieze predicted."

Relena shot up from her seat. "I won't let there be!"

Dorothy floated back and replied with equal force. "How will you stop it?"

Relena looked down. "I'm not sure." This situation felt far beyond her. She couldn't even talk straight to her brother now.

"Use this."

"Huh?" Looking up, Relena saw that Dorothy wad handing a gun to her. Dorothy went on to explain.

"It's the only way you'll be able to stop Mr. Milliardo. You can do it, Miss Relena." Playing her trump card, she added in. "If it means preventing a war from starting…"

"No. I could never do something like that."

"Because you can't shoot your own brother?" Dorothy snapped. "Or because it's against your idea of pacifism? It must be because you're Relena Peacecraft, and you are unable to take action being constrained by your ideal world."

"That isn't true, Dorothy."

"Huh?"

"I just don't believe true peace could be obtained through assassination."

Dorothy was briefly stunned. She had expected to expose Relena's weakness to her and leave the girl crushed. Instead, Relena was showing that remarkable strength and resolve once more. _'Truly remarkable'_ Dorothy thought and she closed her eyes and smiled.

"Oh. Then that leaves me no choice."

Dorothy then turned around and exited the room. The door slid close and Dorothy activated the outside lock. Realizing this, Relena moved up to the door and tried to open it, but failed to.

"Dorothy? Open the door!"

"Just stay in here until everything is over Miss Relena." Dorothy replied before leaving the now-trapped girl.

* * *

Aki was now holding a downed Tekkaman Dead and faced with a new tekkaman. And judging by the armor design, it was definitely a gundam tekkaman.

"Hm. Two birds in one stone." he growled through glowing red eyes. "Just the way I like it."

Aki lowered Dead to the floor and reclaimed her lancer. "If you want me, you've got me. Leave him out of this."

Shrapnel lifted his axe toward Dead. "He has everything to do with this. My master wanted to make sure he was loyal. Since that is not the case, then he must be eliminated. You and this command center are just extra bonus points."

Aki moved in front of Dead's body and leveled her lancer. "Sorry. But he is a Space Knight. If you want him, you'll have to go through me."

"You say that as if that was a problem."

Shrapnel suddenly dashed at Aki, axe lancer reared back to strike. Aki followed his pattern, charging at him with a fierce cry. Blade met blade in a terrific strike between the two and they both hopped off to the other side. Shrapnel turned to Dead and continued to go after him. But Aki lashed out with her arm and her energy wire halted Shrapnel's attack. Then with all her might, she shot out of the command center, dragging the dark gundam with her outside and into the air. Shrapnel snarled at her and then pulled back, causing Aki to turn around toward him. But her boosters were still ignited and with a wild cry she attacked. Shrapnel swung back and again the two clashed heavily while still connected. More strikes were exchanged between the two and Shrapnel realized that he had underestimated the power of the Scarlet Tekkaman. _'But not by much…'_

"I can sense your weakness." he mocked as they dropped to the grounds outside the command center. "You desperation is apparent. You don't stand a chance against me."

Aki knelt down for her next attack, but in truth, Shrapnel was right. The battle with the Radham as well as Dead had drained her severely. Right now, she was going on fumes. And to top it off, her crystal was beginning to affect her again. But she had to go on. Her friends' lives were at stake. She had to beat him. Aki ran at him with her lancer pointed forward and stabbed forward to impale him. Shrapnel deflected the stabbing blow and brought his lancer back to slap her on the side. Aki was knocked aside, but she lifted her wrist to pull up on the wire and right herself just before she lunged again. Again her attack was deflected, but this time Shrapnel was unable to counter-attack. Aki had flown by, tugged on the wire again, and came at him once more from the side. Shrapnel soon realized what she was doing as he blocked the third lancer strike.

"Is this what you have to resort to? Petty attack tactics?" With a mighty heave, Shrapnel shot his arm and lancer up, knocking her in the chin and sending her soaring. And as she did, he brought the axe down on the wire, cutting it and letting her slam into the ground.

"Guah!"

"How pitiful." Shrapnel mocked. "In truth, I expected more from the Space Knights. But if this is all you have, then I'll have to put you out of your misery."

"No!"

Suddenly, Dead flown out of the Command Center and toward the gundam tekkaman. But in a surprise twist, Shrapnel had charged up his voltekka cells and aimed them straight at Dead.

_**"Voltekka!"**_

Dead, who was caught off guard by the fact that Shrapnel knew that he had revived, was shocked by the oncoming wave of energy that slammed him right to the ground. Shrapnel laughed and Dead hit the dirt.

"Took you long enough. Toying with her isn't all that fun."

Dead struggled to get back on his feet, but lost his footing and fell down. He had lost it. Lost it all. His sister…his friends…everything… All because of the mistake he made. Lifting his head, he saw Shrapnel standing over him, his axe overhead and ready to come down upon him.

"For you, this is the dead end!"

"Yahhhhhhh!"

Shrapnel blinked and turned to the source of the cry. Aki had risen up from the floor and was now glowing in a brilliant light. Her arms and legs were outstretched and energy began to pour out from her.

"_**Power of Space to one!"**_

The armor of the Scarlet Tekkaman suddenly glowed to white and began to change. Both Dead and Shrapnel watched in amazement and shock as Aki transformed once again. Her armor became enhanced and the energy grew immensely. The glow soon stopped, leaving the sheer energy in its wake as Aki had almost changed completely before them. Shrapnel stepped back as he realized what had occurred.

"Impossible. How…? A Blastor Tekkaman?"

Aki didn't reply at first, but then her voltekka cells opened, both on her shoulders and her arms. Energy crackled out like wild lightning and Aki aimed her new weaponry at Shrapnel.

"_**Blastor…VOLTEKKAAAAAAAAA!"**_

A monolithic wave of intense energy shot out from the cells. Dead barely managed to roll out of the way as the wave engulfed Shrapnel completely.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The wave tore up the ground and soon into the air, taking with it the dark gundam as it disappeared into the atmosphere. Dead managed to lift himself up, but was shocked by Aki's power. 'How…? Why…?' But then, the armor shone again, and this time Aki screamed. The armor flashed in and out and then ultimately disappeared from her body. Aki let out a long, drawn out cry before she collapsed onto the ground. Dead quickly moved over to her.

"Wake up. Wake up!"

Placing a clawed hand on her chest, he could feel a heartbeat, but just barely. Looking back at the command Center, he scooped her up in his arms and weakly flew back toward the base, hoping he could get there before it was too late.

* * *

_'Aki…!'_

Blade halted in his fight as he sensed the pain of his beloved. It was strange that he was even able to sense her from so far away. Before he could reflect on this though, Tekkaman Zero charged at him, bringing him back to the fight. With a parry, he managed to push aside and open him to an attack. But Zero was fast and he wheeled around and deflected Blade's attack as it came. Their boosters flared simultaneously and they soared through space, hacking away at each other for supremacy. It was a decision they had both consented to. They both felt strongly about what must be done. In their earlier days, they would have done it alone, fighting their battles without anyone to help or aid them. But that could not be the case anymore. If they were to fight together, they had to decide whom they had to fight.

Regardless of the cost…

The twin lines of light zigzagged through space and ultimately landed on top of the white battlestation, with the tekkamen still locked in a hold. They broke away and stood still, posed for the next attack. So far, both tekkamen were evenly matched in skill and speed. However, the strength and overall power went over to Zero, who had been on the offensive throughout most of the fight. Only Blade's experience managed to avoid much of Zero's attacks and at times, counter with some deadly moves. Speaking of which, Blade separated his lancer into two and charged at Zero for once. Zero saw this and followed suit and the armored warriors ran along the ship side-to-side. Blade then leaped up and struck down with one of his lancers. Zero jumped up as well and instead of blocking, he batted it away and sliced back. Blade brought his other lancer in to defend, quickly putting him back on the defensive again. There was more to Zero than just skill and strength. It was almost as though Zero…knew what he was going to do beforehand. It was just like his battle with Tekkaman Dead.

"Heero is winning."Duo stated as the group continued to watch the fight from within the Peacemillion. "He has Bladeup against the ropes."

Yumi frowned at him. "Blade will win. Just wait and see."

"This is not about victory."Wufei quietly rebuked them. At his words, the other quietly remembered what this fight was really about. About their indecision and their current weakness. Because of it, two of their strongest warriors were now battling one another to determine what course they must take.

Meanwhile, the battle ravaged on above the Peacemillion once again. As Wufei stated before, Heero was definitely winning. Blade found himself at the end of his resources as the augmented tekkaman pressed on. _'He's even stronger than Dead'_ Blade reasoned as he backed away. Rather than follow though, Zero held his position. Then his arm voltekka cells illuminated, catching Blade's attention. _'That voltekka…!'_ Zero lifted his arm and unleashed a wide blast of energy. Quickly, Blade's shoulders snapped open and his voltekka shot out to counter. The collision of energies rippled through space and rattled the battlestation below. Onboard, everyone had to grab hold on to something to prevent from falling onto the floor. In space, Zero and Blade were still faced off. But it was Blade that in worse condition. Using the voltekka that way had strained him and for the moment, he was badly weakened. Even if he could recover, he would never be able to let off another blast that way. Even his reflectors wouldn't be enough now. And given Zero's power and skill, Blade knew he was about to be finished. But he couldn't give up. Not now. _His sister…Aki…_ This was too much to lose now. That left one option. An option he'd never though he'd ever have to use again.

"_**Power of Space to one!"**_

* * *

_As the battle between Blade and Zero takes a heated turn, they are suddenly assaulted White Fang forces. The gundams go into action but find their strength waning amidst the numerous forces and without the Space Knights. With Milliardo now targeting the gundams themselves, the situation seems hopeless. As Aki is recovering from her ordeal, Dead is left to think about the consequences as well as what to do now. But as he does, Radham once again besieges the base, this time with Virgo Dolls and Tekkaman Slayer. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Decision_

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

AN: For those wondering where I got the line for the Blastor transformation, it had come to my attention that when Teknoman/Tekkaman Blade aired, there were three ways Blade cried when he transformed. "Tek-Setta!", in Japan, "Tekno Power!" in the US and "Power of Space to One!" in Brazil (I think). I liked how it sounded, so I decided to use it here.


	58. Decision

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chap. 58

_**"Power of Space to One!"**_

With that cry, Blade began to shine and glow in radiant energy. Zero paused in his charge and looked on as Blade began a new transformation. Zero's head crystal suddenly shone, but not because of Blade. Blade too, sensed the disturbance and ceased in his metamorphosis in order to find out what it was. In the expanse of space came several twinkling lights, which soon closed in to reveal energy blasts. The two tekkamen easily dodged the beams and the source of them came into view. A horde of Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls.

"The White Fang!" Natasha exclaimed.

Duo closed his eyes briefly. "Looks like they've beaten us to the punch."

"Let's go." Wufei added.

At that, Quatre, Duo, Wufei and Trowa summoned their crystals and raised them into the air.

_"Tek-Setta!"_

The four youths exploded in flashes of light and shot out through the massive battlestation, continuing to soar through space and transforming into their alternate forms.

_"Tekkaman Hellscythe!"_

_"Tekkaman Heavyarm!"_

_"Tekkaman Sandrock!"_

_"Tekkaman Altron!"_

The four tekkamen flew into the fray and attacked the incoming Dolls. The Dolls, upon seeing the tekkamen, activated their disruptor crystals and engaged the tekkamen, instantly erupting into a fierce battle. Noin watched their battle and instantly saw a problem.

"Guys, wait." she called over the comm. "You're at a disadvantage fighting that many separately." When she received no response, she frowned and ran off to the hanger. _'It's pointless. They always fight alone.'_

The Space Knights also saw the battle, but they were still unsure as whether they should fight or not. In the end though, their indecision answered for them and they simply watched on. Noal saw this in their eyes and felt saddened himself. _'So this is what we're reduced to. Helplessness by our own indecision.'_

Above the Peacemillion, Blade and Zero settled down on top of the battlestation, not joining in on the fight for separate reasons. Zero's reason was simple. He had noticed the pattern of fighting by the Dolls and verified that the Dolls had specifically targeted the gundams. _'It's only natural that Zechs would use his Dolls strategically.'_ Blade on the other hand, though he was looking in the general direction, his mind was set on his earlier fighting with Zero. The augmented tekkaman had nearly forced him to activate his Blastor evolution ability. He had sworn to himself never to use it, as the evolution put an enormous strain on Blade's body, physically and mentally. It was the reason why he didn't use it against in his battle against Dead End, rather looking for an alternate way to defeat him. But he had seen no other option in the fight, as Zero's power seemed to be greater than Dead's. But there was more there than power. Looking over at Zero, he came to a realization.

_'His heart...his will...He will survive no matter what.'_

Back at the battle, the gundams continued their fight against the Dolls. But with their waning power due to the disruptors and the numbers against them, they were in quite a struggle. In the midst of a group of Dolls, Altron whirled his double-trident lancer, separated it and stabbed it in both directions, impaling three of the Dolls. An energy blast hit him from behind though and he staggered forward. In a fit of rage, Altron turned back and aimed his arms forward, calling forth his voltekka cells in the shape of twin dragon heads.

"I won't be pushed around by you!" The energy built up immediately and Altron cried out. "**_Voltekka!"_**

A dual beam of fiery energy flashed out and engulf the Dolls in it path, destroying them by the dozens. Nearby, Heavyarm continued his own assault on the Doll when a beam got through and hit him on the shoulder. His armor damaged, he almost flew back uncontrollably when he was saved by Hellscythe, who caught him from behind.

"Trowa, are you okay?"

"Yeah. One more go. That should be enough."

Nodding, Hellscythe released him and they flew off to fight again. Above, Sandrock was in his own heated battle, working as best as he could to support the others, but getting hampered. Like Noin, he realized that they would be in trouble fighting separately and backed up the other whenever he could. He sliced down on an enemy Doll only to be blasted on the chest a second later. Growling to himself, Sandrock righted himself and raised his shield arm to defend. Just then, energy beams fired out from behind him, but the blasts hit the attacking Dolls instead. Looking back, he saw a white Taurus Sol-Tekka giving him cover fire. _'Noin...'_ Sandrock put down his defense and fought on, keeping Noin in close in order to fight alongside her.

"Miss Noin. Can they be controlling the Dolls this precisely?"

"No, not usually." she answered. "I can only guess that Zechs has come up with some new system for them."

The battle raged on for some time, but ultimately the gundams came out on top. But it wasn't without its price. Each of the gundams were exhausted, damaged and strained from the battle.

"Bring in the Peacemillion for pickup." Noin called on the comm, standing beside a still and tired Sandrock. Meanwhile, above the Peacemillion, Zero took this into thought as well.

_'As it stands, we can't possibly defeat Zechs.'_

* * *

_Libra_

Quinze entered the bridge after receiving the report on the Peacemillion attack force. He approached Milliardo, who was sitting in the command seat, seemingly bored.

"I've just received word that the Sol-Tekka Dolls sent to the Peacemillion have all been destroyed."

"It makes no difference." The silver-haired commander responded. "I didn't expect to defeat the gundams simply by loading the program."

Quinze was confused. "Then why did you send the units?"

Milliardo explained. "I have started a war of attrition against them. Tekkaman, even gundams, have their limits, do they not?"

"Huh?"

"But not the Dolls." he finished.

Quinze blinked, realizing the genius of the plan. "You...have a point.

Standing up, Milliardo ordered. "We'll start the Libra as soon as we are ready to go. We're heading for the Earth."

"Yes sir."

* * *

_Earth_

Dead End found himself in a familiar setting. The graveyard... His eyes were blank as he aimlessly walked through it. He wasn't sure about himself or anything right now. His mind right now was focused on what occurred a few minutes ago in the command center.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

_A few minutes ago..._

The steady droning of the machine that displayed Aki's life-signs beeped onward as she lay in the bed unconscious. Just outside, Millia, Honda and Dead looked over her.

"I don't understand. She could have stopped me before with that power. Why didn't she?"

"You idiot!"

The cry came from Millia, who suddenly whirled around and slapped him across the face. Dead took the blow without flinching, but it stung him regardless. Millia, whose eyes were in anger and dripping with tears, snarled at him.

"She hurts herself in doing that. She wasn't supposed to do that. But because of you, she almost killed herself. And for what?" Her eyes narrowed, issuing forth more tears. "Saving your life!"

"Millia, that's enough." Honda replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. But she didn't accept it and brushed it aside, storming out afterward. But not before sneering back.

"Who are you to deserve that?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

_'Who am I to deserve that?'_ Dead went over this as he sat near the nearby pond, leaning his back on one of the tombstone markers. _'Why did she do it at all?'_ Even though he had joined the Space Knights, he didn't give her any reason to help him or even like him. That's how all the Knights were, more or less. David was his only real friend among them, although D- Boy was the one who allowed him to come in due to his understanding him without anger. And Yumi was always cheery around him (Truthfully, she was like that around everyone). Everyone kept their distance from him, either out of fear or animosity, he didn't know. He had believed that Aki was one of the ones that hated him, since she was his prime target before. But it seemed that wasn't the case. She could have destroyed him with that transformation she used against Shrapnel. He didn't understand.

"Nice place you picked here."

Dead's eyes widened slightly and turned to she Honda come up behind him. Honda stood next the seated youth, keeping his gaze on the pond.

"Nice and quiet."

Dead felt like saying something, but all he managed out was a nod. Honda didn't really expect him to answer though and he went on.

"Don't mind, Millia. She was just upset. Aki is like a big sister to her."

Dead remained silent and Honda simply mirrored that silence, patiently waiting for the youth to speak. Even for a guy as strange as Dead, patience usually won out. And sure enough, Dead replied quietly.

"Why? Why did she do it?"

Honda turned his head. "What do you mean?"

"Why didn't she kill me? Why did she choose save me?"

The elder Knight put his hands in his pockets. "Well, why wouldn't she? You are a Space Knight, right?"

"I...I don't know what I am anymore."

"Hmh. You sound like D-Boy."

The emerald haired man looked up at Honda as he continued. "He was confused about what he was once. He didn't know whether he was a man or a Radham monster. Guess who helped him through that one."

Dead looked forward again, already knowing the answer. Honda stepped toward the pond and bent down. "Actions prove a person's worth. But it takes others to reveal that to some extent. Aki saved you, so you must know that she sees something of worth in you. The question now is, what will you do about it?"

Dead was silent, but his mind went over this clarification. _'What will I do?'_ The question left him somewhat mystified, but at least he wasn't as confused as before. His mind drift on this question for another moment before his eyes widened. The image of his tekka-set crystal glimmered on his forehead. Turning around, he sees a new figure approach them, the person's forehead glowing with a crystal as well. Long emerald hair flowed from the figure's back, but Dead had long known whom it was.

"Sister..."

* * *

_Peacemillion_

The gundams were all in the mess hall (minus Heero), eating and resting in order to recover from the strenuous battle they were in before. But they already knew they were in serious trouble.

"Man, I could eat an elephant whole now." Duo joked as he finished his meal. When there were no laughs, he sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Those guys just kept on coming."

Quatre put down his drink. "Fighting like that isn't going to get us anywhere. What we really need now is a plan."

"That's easier said than done." Duo retorted. "Look, we're already really close to Libra. We should be able to force our way in."

Trowa responded while looking in a mirror. "But surely there will be more enemy forces guarding Libra. They will probably separate us and then attack us."

"You're right." Sally added, being in the same hall as they were. "And the enemy will attack when you are most vulnerable."

Wufei opened his eyes while he floated in the zero gravity. "That just means we'll have to crush Libra before they get to us."

Quatre lowered his head. _'No, that isn't going to work. We don't stand a chance right now. But what other options do we have?'_

_Elsewhere..._

"I don't like it. Shouldn't we have done something?"

The Space Knights were in the hanger area, doing a little extra repair work on their starjets. I truth, it was their way to get their minds of troubles that affected them. But this time though, it wasn't working.

"Like what?" David answered Hayato's question. "Fighting the White Fang would make the Space Knights seem like we're joining the World Nation. We would be putting the entire headquarters into this war."

"But...he has a point."

Blinking, David and the others turned to Yumi, who had said that. Yumi had been hesitant about re-entering battle ever since she nearly killed an OZ Sol-Tekka pilot and because of that, they all thought she would have been the last to say something like that.

"Standing around like children while everyone else fights and dies is..." Her eyes lowered further. "I don't know."

"That's our problem." Natasha replied quietly. "We just don't know what would be in the best interest of people whether we fight or not. The Radham are supposed to be our enemy, not other human beings."

Anita sighed. "So now we're back at square one?"

"It would seem that way."

_Elsewhere..._

In the medical ward of the Peacemillion, D-Boy sat beside the still unconscious body of his sister. Ever since the battle, that is were he has been. Yet his mind was still focused on the fight he was in and the battle afterward. He had seen the power of the Dolls and sensed the Radham ferocity that seemed to be integrated within them. Yet they were from the White Fang. Taking off his glasses, he looked over at Miyuki.

_'I wish you were awake right now. You were good at helping us sort through problems like this. You always said that we were the strong ones, but not like you. I guess I already know what needs to be done. I just...'_

Stopping in his thoughts, he left it just as it was. He knew what he had to do. Heero had already revealed something to him and that allow the decision to be easier. _'I'll have to thank him later.'_ Picking up his glasses, he once again shifted them on his face and left the ward, but not before whispering.

"Get well soon, my dear sister."

D-Boy turned away, only to see Heero standing in his path. The young gundam's stare seemed to go straight through D's glasses and into his eyes. D-Boy simply stared back and nodded and the two walked on past each other in silence.

* * *

_Libra_

"What do you think?"

In a separate control room, Milliardo and Dorothy were stationed in a single chamber room. Dorothy was seated in a single seat, with various computer screens around them and wearing a large helmet over the upper part of her head and face.

""It's not bad at all." she smiled."I'd like to try it in real combat."

"Do that. I'm going to have my hands full with Tekkaman Zero."

Quinze suddenly entered the chamber room. "Peacemillion is on approach to the Libra."

Milliardo looked away from Dorothy, his tekka-set flashing on his forehead.

"I'll face them. Now!"

* * *

_Peacemillion_

The gundams and the Space Knights looked on as they see the closing shape of Libra, surrounded by several blinking lights, all Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls. The lights began to approach them, indicating that they had been detected.

"Well, let's get to work guys." Duo said, summoning his crystal again. The other four pulled out the crystals as well and gave a unison cry.

_"Tek-Setta!"_

_"Zero Tek-Setta!"_

Five beams of light shot out of the Peacemillion and soon accompanied the white Taurus Sol-Tekka (Noin) that had already been launched out in advance. The five gundam tekkamen soon materialized, but a second later Zero ignited his crystal hawk and flew off.

"Heero?" Sandrock questioned.

"Epyon is coming. The rest is up to you."

Zero soon disappeared into the darkness. Hellscythe began to advance in order to join him, but Sandrock held him off.

"Hang on. From a strategic point of view, Zero has to face Epyon. What we need is a strategic plan of our own."

"They're here!" Altron exclaimed. Flaing his crystal hawk, he shot into the battle, with Heavyarm doing the same right behind him.

"Wait, Wufei! Trowa!"

The battle had begun and the gundams were already in trouble.

* * *

_Graveyard_

"What happened, little one?"

Dead stood facing his sister, who was looking down at him from the top of the hill with her crimson eyes seeing to dissect him. At first, Dead was at a loss as to what to say. So he decided that the only thing to do was to tell the truth and be open, regardless of the consequences.

"I... I couldn't do it."

"Why!" she snapped, her hair whirling in the wind to add to her outburst. "These humans are not worth mercy!"

"Maybe..." He agreed and Honda looked at him in surprise. However, Dead continued speaking. "Maybe what you said is true and all humanity is doomed to destroy each other anyway. But... they have shown me mercy, and a life that is free from the pain of past memories. Because of them, I wasn't destroyed by my own sadness."

Slayer's eyes widened, stunned by his words. When they lowered back to normal, she shut them and shook her head. "You couldn't be any more wrong. Now these humans have twisted your thinking and tied you in with their sediments." Her eyes opened with a glare. "Abandon this futile way or I will have no choice but to destroy you."

As intimidating as her visage was, Dead showed no such fear. Instead, he stretched his hand out to her. "Aurora. Come with me, please. Let the pain go and see for yourself."

"There is only one pain I am going to let go." she replied with a look of disgust. "The pain that we are related in blood." She lifted her crystal and the winds picked up, signaling her transformation. "And I will do that by spilling yours."

"No, stop!"

_"Tek-Setta!"_

A flash of light and Slayer soared into the air, beginning to sweep back at Dead. Seeing no other choice now, Dead flicked out his knife and summoned his own power.

_"Tek-Setta!"_

* * *

Aboard the Libra, Dorothy set herself on the task, testing out her newest 'toy'. _'Using the Epyon Crystal's data to imprint mental thoughts... Mr. Milliardo is a true genius. Even now, the slowest Doll will have the mind of a human pilot.'_ With a dark smile, she got to work. _'Now my Dolls, let's show a spectacular dance.'_

At her mental command, the Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls flew into action, now no longer limited to their basic program all the while keeping their ability to exceed human movement capacity, making them all the more effective killing machines, with the gundams as their targets. Aboard the Libra, Relena watched the fight with a sense of despair.

_'Heero...'_

Speaking of which, the gundam tekkaman was heading full speed at Libra, with only a single obstacle in his path. Tekkaman Epyon.

"Let's get started."

"I'm here." Zero confirmed

The flaring crystal hawks soared past each other and soon dispersed, with the tekkamen returning to engage each out. With their lancers drawn, they struck out at each other with terrific force.

"I want to know what you are up to." Zero spoke amid the sparks of light. "Why are you starting these battles?"

"To end all battles!"

Elsewhere, the other gundams had dove into their own battles, fighting the hordes of Dolls that were all now acting very differently. Though they were still Dolls, they moved in various patterns, almost as if there were humans being inside. In moments, the gundams found themselves swamped again.

"We're not getting anywhere." Sandrock shout as he tossed a Doll aside. "We have to get in some kind of formation."

But despite his plea, they were unable to even if they wanted it. With each gundam locked in their own battle, the thought of teamwork never entered their minds as they were quite used to fighting on their own. A Doll suddenly lunged at Sandrock and would have tackled him if not for Noin propelling herself into it and then blasting it away with her cannon.

"It's exactly the same. It's just like the attack on the Sank Kingdom."

Sandrock looked out and realized the truth of it. The enemy forces were just overwhelming even for them. With the group now separated, it would only be a matter of time before they fell.

_**Zssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh!**_

A flash of light suddenly ripped through a line of Dolls and then exploded in space. The gundams stopped briefly and gasped in surprise at the newcomer.

"Tekkaman Blade?"

Indeed, the white tekkaman made his presence known on the battlefield as he sliced apart groups of Dolls with his lancer. The gundams were further surprised when three objects approached and joined the battle. The Space Knights.

"What are you doing?" Altron shouted at the approaching three.

"Helping you guys out." Vesna replied as she leaped up and sliced through one of the Dolls.

Sandrock was caught off guard by this. "But...what about...?"

"We protect all human life." Hiver replied, delivering a slashing blow. "In this case, from itself."

"Besides, there's nothing human about the Dolls." Sommer added, tossing out his giant boomerang lancer. "They're Radham based and that's enough to consider them dangerous."

The three tekkamen, along with the starjets, pressed on, chopping away at the enemy Dolls that were attacking. Within Libra, Dorothy made note of the change.

_'I didn't expect them to intervene this soon.'_ She then smiled. _'I'll just have to adjust.'_

Her thoughts transmitted instantly and the Doll regarded the Space Knights as new targets. Although they were skilled fighters against Radham forces, they were a little off-step when it came to the Dolls, especially since they haven't been in many battles against them.

_'Even with them here, we're still outnumbered.'_ Sandrock thought as the battle progress. Even though the Space Knights were moving as a team, they needed backup. _'Of course!'_ Turning his attention to the gundams, he called out. "You guys remember the training courses at the Command Center?"

"Sure thing."

"Let use that to our advantage." Sandrock continued, now reassured greatly as his mind went to work. "The enemies are divided into units. Now is our chance to defeat them one at a time. While Blade clears a pathway, Trowa and David can attack the units on the upper left side. Then destroy the front units, Duo and Wufei. And the reinforcement units can be handled by Yumi and Natasha."

"Roger."

"Gotcha."

"There's a good plan."

"Let's do it, Space Knights!"

The group soon blasted to work. Blade, overhearing the strategy, blazed a trail through the main unit of Dolls. While they scattered from the white tekkaman's force. Sommer and Heavyarm brought down the ones not affected which turning out to be in the upper left side as Sandrock had explained. With the initial backups gone, Hellscythe and Altron were able to tear through the front units without worry of retaliation. But when it did come, Hiver and Vesna dove in and ripped them apart and as they battled, Sandrock and Noin would fly in from behind and tear through the side units enough for Blade to wipe out the rest with another pass.

_'What's this?'_ Dororthy wondered at the new development. _'A strategy?'_ Her mind went to work, altering the Dolls' attack pattern in order to counter the group. But a minute later, she was stunned by another change in the tekkamen's fighting. This went on once more and once more, she was on the receiving end a minute later.

_'Someone's organizing them in a unit...countering my moves...'_

Meanwhile in the battlefield, Sandrock continued to throw out orders to the others in order to combat the dolls. But each time he found a pattern and attacked, the pattern would change and he was forced to change tactics again, almost constantly and with more difficulty.

_'The movements of these dolls aren't just programmed. They're changing based off the actual battle.'_

Dorothy gritted her teeth, trying to keep control. _'These movements... Not Blade... Another is leading them... I sense...'_

_'Someone's controlling them directly...'_ Sandrock thought, his tekka-set shimmering on his forehead. _'I sense...Zero...? No... Someone else...'_

The realization soon hit the two with a crack.

"Quatre Rababre Winner."

"Dorothy Catalonia."

Dorothy removed her headgear and cried out to the bridge. "Use Libra main cannon and strike them!"

"What's going on?" Quinze asked, dumbfounded. "You've got to be kidding me."

"It's the only way to stop them."

At her command, Libra began to shift direction. Aboard the Peacemillion, Noal spotted this and in trying to figure out what they where up to, he saw the cannon beginning to glow.

"Oh crap. They're going to fire that cannon...at us!"

"Warn the tekkamen and move this ship." Sally ordered the crew.

"This ship is massive." Howard replied. "It can't move that quickly."

"Just do it!"

Peacemillion's boosters flared on and it began to pull away from out of the beam path. But Libra seemed to keep following it, it too flying to keep its target locked.

"We're flying at a tremendous speed and we don't know what effect the cannon will have on Libra." Quinze warned.

But Dorothy didn't care. "Just fire! That's all we can do!"

_'What? Dorothy!'_

Epyon sensed the change, but could do nothing as he deflected a lancer attack from Zero. The cannon glow grew brighter and suddenly erupted in a pure white light. The gundams and Space Knights had gotten out of the way as the beam cruised straight for the Peacemilion and...missed. Not totally, for the underside of the Peacemillion was torn up by the force of the beam. But the ship was still intact. This is more than could be said for the Libra internally as alarms were ringing out all over the place.

"Main cannon system down." One officer reported. "Various damage to spaceship structure."

Dorothy stood in the now darkened chamber in wonder as to what went wrong. _'This can't be. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.'_

In space, Zero slashed at Epyon again, but then the crimson tekkaman turned around and took to flight.

"I must leave, Heero." Inwardly, he grimaced. _'This was too much responsibility for Dorothy.'_

Zero simply watched as his rival flew away back to his ship.

* * *

_Earth_

Space wasn't the only place containing a heated battle as Slayer and Dead clashed at each other in the skies above the graveyard. However, Dead appeared to be on the defensive while Slayer came at him with feral attacks. Despite everything that happened, he couldn't bring himself to strike down his sister. Unfortunately for him, she didn't have such reservations.

"Rahhhh!"

Slayer stabbed her lancer in at him, cutting away his pre-emptive dodge and connecting with her lancer. Dead held her back, but without any thought of attack, he was left stranded. Seeing this, Slayer pushed downward a bit, pulled back and smashed him across the side of his face with a powerful blow of her fist. Dead reeled backward and Slayer pressed on, stabbing inward again to impale him. Dead recover just in time to deflect the blow, but Slayer used his deflect to whirl around and cut down with an overhead strike. Dead lifted his lancer to block, grabbing her arm as well and holding tight. With a snarl, Slayer tried to force him down again, and again only managed partway before she shot her knee up to his face. Dead was knocked back again and Slayer charged, flaring up her dark crystl hawk and slamming into Dead like a hurricane.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Dead was unable to stop himself from smashing into the ground, breaking through a couple of gravestone in the process until he finally stopped, head-first in the dirt. Slayer hovered down and strode over to him as he struggled to rise.

"Look at you. Weakened by your mercy and compassion, you can't even fight me straight. I gave you a way to avoid this, to use the potential I thought you had. But all you've done is waste my time."

Dead managed to lift himself upright, but only on bended knee. "I...don't believe you." he coughed out. "You're...just like me. Too saddened by past memories. But it doesn't have to be this way."

Slayer just could believe this foolishness. "Fool. I am Radham! I am destined to destroy the human race."

"No. You can't!"

Slayer cocked her head as Honda came up beside Dead. "What's this? A Space Knight? Your friend?" Her eyes shimmered and her lancer began to glow and become double sided with voltekka cells, just like Dead's." Perhaps you will see things differently when they are disposed. And I'll start with this old fossil!"

Fiery energy filled each cell and she held the deadly energy forward, targeting Honda. The elder man was stunned and took a step back before she cried aloud.

**"VOLTEKKA!"**

**"NOOOOO!"**

In a flash, Dead shot up to his feet and in front of Honda. Honda's eyes widened. "Dead, no!" But Dead didn't respond as he summoned his own voltekka and held it forward. But he knew he didn't have time to generate enough power to disperse it. If only he could stop it another way.

_'Wait. There is another way!'_

The cells began glowing, but Dead didn't fire. Rather he stood with his arm and voltekka outstretched as Slayer beam slammed into him. Dead cried out, the pain and fire he was feeling from the surge ripping through his entire body.

"Rahhhhhhh! GOOOOOOOO!"

The cells lit up suddenly and the beam exploded in a flash of light. Slayer blinked but was soon shock at seeing what happened. Dead had reversed the direction of her own voltekka beam. It was now coming back at her.

"No. It can't be. Deadddddddd!"

The beam engulfed her and tore across the ground (and more tombstones), exploding finally in the skies above. With no sign of Slayer anywhere, Dead shook and finally collapsed back on one knee. Honda, surprised by Dead's action, moved over and attempted to help him up.

"She's...still alive...Wasn't strong enough...to."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Honda reassured. "You risked your life in saving me. Thanks."

"Actions...prove a person's worth."

* * *

_The final battle draws closer as Trieze mobilizes every force on Earth into outer space. Hilde sneaks aboard the Liba in order to find data capable of helping the gundams. But in her escape, she is attacked by Libra's newest weapons. Meanwhile, the tekkamen go out into battle against the White Fang once again, leaving the Peacemillion open to a sneak attack from Sliver and Shirken. With Blade as its sole defender, the Peacemillion is caught in the crosshairs. And the Radham leader unleashes yet another gundam tekkaman; Sai. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Prelude to the Final Battle._


	59. Prelude to the Final Battle

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

_AN: Sorry for being out of the game for so long, but my home has been going through some changes which prevented me from writing for some time. But don't worry. I fully intend to finish this and every other fanfic I have written. So with that said, let's continue._

Chap. 59

_**Peacemillion**_

The massive spacestation was hidden away in the debris of an old colony that had been wrecked by the Radham some years ago. While they hid out, the crews on board moved to repair the ship after the blast they had received from the Libra. In the hanger bay, the young Space Knights were also working to repair and tune up their own ships.

"Hey, I thought I told you guys to leave that to the mechanics." Howard called out when he entered the bay.

Yumi turned to him. "Sorry, but it feels so much better to fix a machine with your own hands. Kind of makes you bond with it, ya know?"

Howard sighed. "Well, I know how that feels, but you guys should really get some rest. No telling when the next battle will come."

Anita poked her head out from the cockpit. "That why we're doing this now, but they have enough to deal with the Peacemillion's damage. This will save time and effort."

Natasha added in. "Plus, with no offense to your staff, we know the systems better than anyone."

When Howard didn't reply, David replied from inside the cockpit of Beta. "Don't worry. We're almost done. I have to catch my beauty sleep anyway."

The others giggled at the comment and Howard shrugged. "Well since you put it that way, I'll leave it to you."

Meanwhile in the control section, Noin, Sally and Noal were watching the screen that showed a diagram of the Earth or more to the point, the resource satellite MO-II that orbited just above it. According to the data, a massive force of weaponry and Sol-tekkas were being transferred into space to this very point.

"It looks like they pulling out all the stops on this one." Noal commented, seeing the numerous twinkling lights around the satellite.

"You're right." Noin agreed. "It looks like every Sol-tekka in the world is being gathered to this one point."

"Does Trieze really expect to finish this battle in space?" Sally questioned.

Noin lowered her head. "Perhaps. But I've never seen them all united together like this. What could those guys be thinking?"

"What indeed."

"Whatever it is, the result is going to be major." Noal then folded his arms. "I just wonder if it's the right idea."

Sally turned to him. "What makes you say that?"

"Not to bring up old subjects, but the Radham are still out there. This war may be just what they need to regain a foothold over Earth and the colonies."

Both women understood what he was saying. A massive conflict could be just what the Radham are looking for. With Earth battling the White Fang, it would be a simple task to swoop in and pick up the pieces.

"At this point, it's out of our hands." Sally replied. "We may have to wait for them to make the first move."

"As always." was the sulking reply

* * *

_**Earth**_

Trieze Khusrenada stood looking out of the window of the ground base, overseeing the launch of numerous ships in space, toward the MO-II resource satellite. It had taken him quite some time to gather all the Sol-Tekkas and additional weaponry at his command to this place, but he had achieved it. As a result, every weapon on Earth was now being used for this one battle.

"The final convoys have arrived sir." the soldier seated below him said. "They will be in orbit within the hour."

Trieze gave a light nod and turned to the others around him. "The time has finally come to put an end to this prolonged fight. Libra, who is using military force to threaten our peace, must be stopped. I ask each of you to fight your best to secure a peaceful future."

The soldiers all saluted to him and those who were sitting at their stations rose up to follow. This is what they were fighting for now. Their chance to have true peace on Earth. To obtain it, they would loyally follow Treize into the battle to obtain it.

_Up to the death…_

* * *

_**Graveyard**_

Dead once again found himself in the familiar setting of the graveyard. It was still wrecked by the last battle with Tekkaman Slayer and Dead doubted that anyone would come anytime soon just to repair a group of tombstones. As the damage lay behind him, Dead stared down into the pond, which remarkably survived intact. He remained motionless as he looked at his reflection. He was able to see how David was confused when he met with Slayer the first time and thought it was him. Dead did look like his sister. In memory of her, he had allowed his hair to grow long and wore long red-polished nails, giving him a feminine appearance. It didn't matter to him at the time though. All he cared about was revenge. And each time he looked at himself, he would see his sister and that would drive him further. But she is alive. His sweet, caring sister still lived. Only she wasn't sweet or caring. She had changed. She was the opposite now. She was now a cruel merciless warrior, bent on destroying mankind, even if she had to kill him to do it. And their last battle showed that truth, giving him the foreknowledge that in their next fight, she would do it again, and he wouldn't be so lucky the next time.

"Aurora…"

"_Live in the present and fight for the future."_

Blade's words… They were what changed him after his defeat. He thought that he would be able to change, to make up for the wrongs he had committed, and perhaps even find some peace. But that changed when she returned and briefly turned him. He almost destroyed everything he tried to reclaim. If not for Aki…

"_Action's prove a man's worth."_

Honda was right. This wasn't the time to brood. He had to face facts, that his sister was gone and that he would be facing a deadly adversary soon. His fists tightened softly and then he slowly reached back and pulled out his tekka-set knife.

_It was time for a change…_

* * *

_**Libra**_

The massive battlestation was looking more improved from its last battle and the damage caused by its own weapon. Hundreds of repair crews were scattered across it in diligent work and shuttles flew in and out. One particular shuttle was flying into the Libra, carrying a familiar person. Hilde Schbeiker.

'_Duo, I know you're going to be angry with me, but I want to fight in my own way.'_

On the bridge, Quinze entered in to deliver the repair report to Milliardo. "Repairs to the main cannon are complete and the structural damage will be repaired in time for the battle."

"Have all working crews finish up as soon as possible and tell everyone who is not on duty to get some rest." he replied. Standing up from his seat, he turned and walked to the elevator. "I'm going to rest too."

Quinze wasn't finished though. "But sir, what about the gundams?"

"Leave them alone."

"Sir?" was the surprised response.

"The Peacemillion was hit pretty hard." the commander answered quietly. "They'll be quiet for the time being."

Quinze pressed. "But sir, we can't let them be, because you alone, as Tekkaman Epyon, are our symbol. Anything else that gets in the way of that must be destroyed immediately."

Milliardo turned his head to the side. "Can we do that?"

"I've already sent a task force to them. I will achieve victory, sir." he answered strongly

Milliardo turned back, knowing that such a move against the gundams and the Space Knights would be futile now. Still, Quinze might just get lucky. He highly doubted that though.

"You're in charge now, so do whatever you please."

Quinze smiled…

Lower down in the Libra, Dorothy and Relena was walking through the bowels of the battlestation, through one of the docking bays that stored the Sol-Tekka Dolls. Dorothy walked along with a smile, as though she was taking a walk in a park on a sunny. Relena was quite the opposite. Her eyes were downcast with a look of despair and sadness. Regardless of this, Dorothy started the conversation.

"Do you feel that, Miss Relena? There's a tension in the air as people prepare for war."

When Relena didn't reply, Dorothy stopped in her tracks and turned to face her. "Still trying to think of a way to convince Mr. Milliardo?"

"I just don't understand why my brother would fight against a former friend of his instead of talking about it." Relena answered.

Dorothy sighed lightly. "It's just that you don't understand their feelings."

"What do you mean by that?"

Dorothy however, chose to change the subject by waving her hand to the side. "Look at those, Miss Relena."

Relena did as she was told and turned to face two particular Sol-Tekka machines. They stood out from their others largely because of their blue and red color schemes as well as weaponry.

"What are they?"

"Mercurius and Vayate. Their test pilots were Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton." She paused, looking at the surprised expression on Relena's face. Continuing her explanation. "They were two Sol-Tekkas until we converted them into Dolls. But the data from the pilots still remain at the core."

"Even Heero's?"

Dorothy lifted her head with an open grin. "A tekkaman against a programmed Doll… I wonder who would win."

"Heero won't loose." Relena replied confidently.

Dorothy looked at her, the grin now turning into a wicked smile. "Of course not. He's so strong, isn't he?" Her eyes narrowed at the last part as Relena's eyes saddened again at the realization that she may have spoken too much. Turning away again… "Now I have some work to attend to. Feel free to look around the complex."

She gave Relena a short bow and the floated over to the two machines. Relena continued to stare at the Mercurius, which had Heero's data installed into it. She was unaware of the person that had peeked out from behind one of the columns and whispered to her.

"Excuse me. Do you know one of the gundams?"

* * *

_**Space Knights Command Center**_

The doors to the command chamber hissed open, causing Honda and Millia to stop in their present work to see who it was.

"Aki, you're awake!" Millia cried. Indeed it was the Space Knight commander, who had finally revived from the last battle. Millia rushed over to hug her when she noticed the strained expression on her face. Placing her hands on her hips…"And supposed to be in bed."

Aki smiled at her concern. "I thought I could use a walk."

"All the way here?" Honda said, walking up behind Millia. "Who are you kidding? You're just being stubborn again."

"What's been going on?"

Realizing what she was asking, Millia answered. "Well, we're not sure. But there have been confirmed reports that the team and D-Boy have joined up with the gundams."

Aki lowered her head slightly. "Hm. So now we know where we stand." Lifting her head up… "Where's Dead?"

Honda shrugged. "I don't know. Haven't seen him since this morning."

Aki became quiet. She was faintly aware of his fight against Slayer. Although unconscious, she could sense the battle through her tekka-set. The fight must have taken its toll on the young man and he was susceptible to do anything right now.

"Let him be." Honda said, as though he could read her thoughts. "He just needs a little time and space."

Aki said nothing, but she complied. _'Just like him…'_

* * *

_**Libra**_

"I see. So you know one of them too."

Hilde and Relena joined back at Relena's quarteds where Hilde told Relena of her friendship with Duo, one of the gundam tekkamen.

"Yes, I do. But I not strong enough to help them right now."

"You look strong enough to me." Relena replied. Her eyes then lowered. "I on the other hand probably can't do a thing to help them." Readdressing Hilde… "Anyway, it's too dangerous to stay here. You better make your escape now."

"Right. I've got to get this data to them right away." She pocketed a small disk she had, which contained the structural layout of Libra. Heading to the door, she turning back. "Hey. Why not come with me? You want to see that gundam again, right?"

Relena's eyes brightened for a moment, but she closed her eyes and shook her head. "I can't. I still have some things to take care of here." As much as she would have liked to see Heero again, she still had to deal with her brother here.

"Then I better be on my way." Hilde exited the room and after peering around, stepped out. Turning to Relena once more… "Oh, I didn't get your name."

"My name is Relena Peacecraft."

Hilde blinked, the name of the former Queen not unknown to those even in the colonies. "Whoa. Well, take care."

"You too."

On the bridge of the Libra, Dorothy entering in from the elevator after having finished her inspection of the Mercurius and Vayate Dolls and supposedly hearing about Quinze's attack order.

"Are you going to attack Peacemillion?"

"Yes." The white-haired man answered. "I've sent a task force already."

"It's no good." she scolded. "You can't defeat the gundam with Sol-Tekka Dolls."

"Well we won't know unless we try." Quinze shot back.

"Fine. Then go right ahead." Dorothy took a seat and placed a hand under her chin. "I just hope we don't lose a valuable force before the big battle."

Quinze was getting tired of Dorothy's remarks, but chose to ignore her for the time being. Suddenly a low shaking was felt and followed by one of the alarms ring. On the viewscreen, an object shot out from a now blown out section of the Libra.

"What's going on?" Quinze barked.

"A Taurus carrier is escaping." True enough, the object soaring away was a Taurus carrier and Sol-Tekka.

"What!"

"I've noticed that the carrier is making a B-line straight for Peacemillion." Dorothy indicated from behind.

"Send out the Virgos…" Quinze began to order. However he was cut off by Dorothy.

"Virgos won't do it. You should send the Mercurius and Vayate." She turned her head and smiled. "I'm sure that will get the gundams attention here."

At this point, Quinze had enough of this girl. "How about clamming up? This isn't a game here you know!"

Dorothy turned back and shot him a deadly glare. "How true. This is war, isn't it?"

Quinze growled, but complied with her nevertheless. Outside the Libra, another carrier was launched, this time carrying the two Dolls. The machines soared right after her and began to pick up the pace.

* * *

_**Peacemillion**_

"Howard and his team almost finished repairs to the Peacemillion." Quatre announced to the others in the galley while picking up his meal and sitting down.

"Oh?" Heero said quietly over his drink.

"You've got to had it to those guys." Duo remarked, playing a game of chess with Trowa. "They sure know how to move fast."

Trowa made his move. "But, I wonder if it will make up for lost time."

Duo sat back, seeing that Trowa had him in a tight spot. "Hm. Now what move should I be making?"

The move was made for him when Wufei moved from the side where he had been standing watching the game. Trowa smiled as he saw the change in tactics had helped Duo.

"An excellent play."

Wudei stood back. "Offense is the best defense. If you're only defensive, you limit yourself."

"Thanks for the tip Wufei." Duo replied. Turning over to Heero… "Heero, want to play?"

"…"

Silence wasn't new when dealing with Heero, but this time seemed different. As if he was…thoughtful…

"Is something the matter, Heero?" Quatre asked. But Heero remained quiet still. Just then the alarms in the Peacemillion went off.

"Sol-Tekka Dolls from Libra are approaching the Peacemillion." was the announced broadcast.

Duo sighed. "There you have it. They beat us to the punch, again."

"Let's go."

In the hanger room, the Space Knight heard the alert as well…

"Don't these guys know how to take a break?" Hayato whined as he hurried to put on his jet gear inside Alpha.

David jumped inside Beta. "They must have dull night lives."

"Save the jokes." Natasha grumbled. "We've got to move."

The Peacemillion's hanger doors opened up and the jets shot out. As they approached the horde of Sol-Tekka Dolls, they got ready for battle.

"_Tek-Setta!"_

Three beams of light swarmed out of their respective vessels and landed back on top, each holding one of the three Space Knight tekkamen.

"_Tekkaman Hiver!"_

"_Tekkaman Vesna!"_

"_Tekkaman Sommer!"_

Their metamorphisis complete, they were soon joined by five more beams flying out of the Peacemillion. The Gundam Tekkamen.

"_Tekkaman Zero!"_

"_Tekkaman Hellscythe!"_

"_Tekkaman Heavyarms!"_

"_Tekkaman Sandrock!"_

"_Tekkaman Altron!"_

From inside the Peacemillion, Howard gave the comment to the youths. "Try to be careful. Finish these guys as fast as possible so you don't get burned too much."

"Roger."

Noal, who was standing beside Howard, cracked a smile as the kids began to fight. "Look at them go. I actually feel better knowing that they're working together on this. Right D? D?"

D-Boy, who was previous standing behind Noal, had vanished. Noal was surprised for a bit before smiling.

"Disappearing on us again? You never change."

On the opposite side of the battle, Hilde's carrier was just approaching. But the carrier behind her caught up and the two Dolls separated. Locking on, Vayate fired a massive blast that destroyed the carrier. Fortunately, Hilde separated from the carrier in the Taurus Sol-Tekka before it exploded.

"Ughh. I'm almost there." But when the fired continued, she turned her attention to the attackers. "There's no way I'll let you defeat me now!" Rotating, she fired a stream of blast at the two Dolls, only to have them deflected by Vayate's energy shield. Hilde gasped in recognition.

"No. It's those Dolls!"

The duo continued to fire on her and Hilde quickly returned to flying to the Peacemillion. But their attacks were becoming more accurate and she didn't know how long she could dodge their fire.

'_So close. I have to make it.'_

Back in the Peacemillion, D-Boy slowly strode toward one of the rear hangers, his tekka-set shimmering lightly on his forehead. Looking upward, he whispered to himself.

"I know you're out there. Come out."

As if on cue, more alarms rang out. On the bridge, the others blinked with surprise as a new series of figure approached them from the rear.

"What the hell is that?" Noal questioned.

"A Radham force, sir." one of the crewmen answered. "They're coming in on attack from the rear."

"Now?" Sally said in dismay.

"It's a setup." Noin reasoned. "They were waiting for the others to leave."

"And leave the Peacemillion defenseless." Noal finished. He then began to head to the hanger for a Sol-Tekka. "Well, they're…"

He was suddenly stopped when a voice came over the comm. D-Boy's…

"Leave them to me."

D-Boy continued to walk into the hanger. Then his pace picked up and he broke out in a full on run. His crystal flashed in his hand and he jumped up toward the bay doors.

"_Tek-Setta!"_

He transformed into an emerald beam that phased through the doors and to the outside. As the Radham approached, the transformation continued, giving D-Boy his familiar white and red armor and incredible powers.

"_Tekkaman Blade!"_

Blade dove straight into the battle, not using his usual method of flaring up his crystal hawk, but rather boosting in normally and slashing the enemy apart. Even without the crystal hawk, Blade was amazingly fast and he rarely had to block the attacks and he cut the Radham down in half with his lancer.

Back to the previous battle, the gundam and the Space Knights worked well together. Much more so then when they were apart. Under Quatre's directions and strategies, the group fought as a single unit, pulverizing every machine that approached them. Yet the numbers were still on their side.

"Geez, there's just no end to them." Hellscythe muttered and he ripped apart three Dolls. His sensors then alerted him to a message.

"Peacemillion…Peacemillion, can you read me?"

'_Hey…That voice…'_

"Peacemillion, please answer! Duo! Ahhhhh!" The communication cut off.

"Hilde!" Hellscythe cried.

"Go find her." Sandrock replied, hearing the same broadcast.

"And leave you guys?"

"Hurry." Sandrock insisted. "We can handle everything here."

"Alright. Thanks." With that, he shot away from the battle to find his friend.

* * *

In the rear battle, Blade was more than holding his own against the Radham forces. They stood no chance against the veteran tekkaman and were soon crushed amidst the debris field. But Blade knew that wasn't the real attack. He had sensed something else.

"You can stop hiding."

"I hope you've enjoyed that little warm-up, because now the real fun begins."

Two pairs of eyes shimmered from within the debris and two tekkamen floated out into open space. Tekkaman Sliver and Tekkaman Shirken.

"You are as powerful as they say." Sliver commented. He then pointed his staff lancer at him. "But even your power can't stop the two of us."

"Let's find out." Blade replied quietly.

Shirken raised his arms, allowing his arm blade to shimmer and glow. "I have been waiting for this. Rahhhhhh!"

Shirken and Sliver charged at the white tekkaman, who stood prone for a moment. But in a flash, he rushed up and clashed with the first one of the evil gundams, being Shirken. Energy clashed between them and Shirken tried to press on, but Blade twisted his lancer downward, causing Shirken to fall away while he had to deal with the still approaching Sliver. Sliver's staff lancer struck out and clashed with Blade's lancer, but only for a moment as Blade used the same maneuver to slide away from Sliver, twisted around as he passed and punched the dark tekkaman in the back of the head. Sliver fell forward and Blade was about to press the attack when Shirken returned, waving his arms a sending a salvo of energy darts. Blade had to pause in his attack and boost aside before they hit him. But now he realized the situation he was in. Both tekkamen were quite powerful and if he didn't end this fast enough, they may do him some serious damage.

"Running away Blade?" Sliver mocked. "Perhaps because you realize that you are outmatched, old man?"

Blade's eyes shimmered in response and he leveled his lancer to wait for the next attack. The two tekkamen looked at each other briefly before springing to attack. Shirken ignited his wristblades and shot them furiously at Blade while Sliver charged in headlong. Blade used his lancer to deflect the flying blades, but was unable to stop Sliver from rushing into him and slamming him into a massive piece of debris. Blade staggered a bit to rise and suddenly launched his lancer. Sliver dodged the weapon, but only to be caught in by a flying kick from the white tekkaman. Meanwhile the lancer flew in on its true target, Tekkaman Shirken. Shirken stopped firing and instantly moved out of the way. Blade launched his cable out, snagged the lancer and swung it in back and Shirken. Shirken was almost beheaded and just managed to duck out of the way. Retrieving the lancer, Blade returned to but the dark tekkaman was not he was before.

"_Voltekka!"_

Sliver had somehow flown high up and had charged his voltekka cells, which were all fitted on his lancer. Blade blinked with his armor. 'He's fast. How did he manage to do that?' But his question was only answer by the stream of energy that flew at him, which looked like a thousand energy waves flying out in different directions. Blade didn't have time for reflectors, so he had to do something else.

"_Voltekka!"_

His shoulder armor popped open and he launched his out blast of energy. The two waved collided in a terrific explosion that even rattled the nearby Peacemillion. When the explosion died out, the two dark ones were together again. Blade stood in wait for the next assault, but now things were going to get harder. True, Sliver had lost a great deal of energy in that blast and was less likely to fight as hard as before, but Blade wasn't exactly 100 percent now either. And with a still powerful Shirken, his chances didn't look good.

* * *

Speaking of bad chances, Hilde was in deep trouble. The Mercurius and Vayate Dolls were in hot pursuit, firing at her all the while and many of their shots damaging the Taurus Sol-Tekka.

"Watch! I'll make it!" she asserted. Another blast from the Mercurius hit the side of the Taurus and damaged it, erupting inside and wounding Hilde badly. She winced in pain, but continued to fly.

"It's not over yet." She looked at her inner pocket. "I'll get this data to Duo and the others. Just watch me. I'm not going down."

If the dolls were human, they probably would have laughed at her seemingly futile effort. But as they were not, they continued to attack. The last shot had damaged part of the Taurus's boosters and it was now slow enough to finish. Vayate flew in and locked on to the Taurus. Target locked, it fired the finishing blow and even Hilde realized at that moment that she was not going to make it.

_Until Death literally flew in and shielded her…_

The two dolls stopped in their assault as the analyzed what had just happened. Tekkaman Hellscythe had flow in just in time to intercept the blast with his wing armor.

"Hilde. You still alive in there?"

Hilde moaned lightly, but replied. "Yeah. Somehow or other."

Turning his attention to the enemy machines, he unfolded his wing and stood in battle position, keeping Hilde behind him.

"Stay back. I'll take care of these guys." He leveled his scythe forward and in a blast of energy, flew right at them.

"Duo, be careful!" Hilde warned. Hellscythe brought his weapon back to lunge and Mercurius met the charge, unfurling its own sword weapon. Mercurius held off Hellscythe's attack, but Hellscythe pushed it back and moved in for the kill. But Mercurius unfurled it energy shield, instantly blocking Hellscythe's attack.

"What?"

At the same moment, Vayate flew up from behind Mercurius and fired a shot, forcing Hellscythe to back up. Seeing this, Mercurius stabbed forward with its saber, forcing Hellscythe to block low. But the block was too awkward and Hellscythe was slashed across the shoulder.

"What the heck is going on? They're way too strong to be just Dolls." It was true. Not only their strength, but also their battle tactics, their speed, it was all far more than the usual Doll. It was as though…

"Duo." Hilde called back to him. "Those Sol-Tekka Dolls aren't normal. They are programmed with data taken from you gundams."

Hellsycthe blinked within. "Are you sure?" The Dolls moved in for attack and it was then that Hellscythe realized whose data it was. The attack style and patterns… He recognized them now.

"Heero…and Trowa."

* * *

On the other side of the Peacemillion, the battle was beginning to go badly for the Space Knight Commander. The dark tekkamen had gone into an all out assault on him and with his diminished strength, he was beginning to get defense. He had to stop. To draw the fight any longer would only spell certain doom for him. But Shirken was pressing the advantage, constantly attacking Blade while Sliver stayed in the back and fired his beams at him and although the attacks were wasted at the moment, they was getting closer to their goal.

"Give up, Blade." Shirken taunted as he came in for another strike. "You are defeated."

Their blades locked up and Blade pressed hard. Sliver suddenly flew in from the side and fired another beam-blade of energy that struck Blade's side, caused the armor to explode and Blade to be wounded.

"Guaahhh!"

Seeing Blade injured, Shirken pushed Blade back and launched his wristblades. Blade raised his arms to block, but the blades continued to swarm him, damaging him all over.

"Nhhhhhahhh!"

His crystal flashed, alerting the others to his plight. But they were too embroiled in their own battles to be of any help to him. There was no one in range.

Except…

"We have an alert." A crewman reported in Peacemillion. "There's a tekkaman active inside the ship."

Noal turned to him in shock. How did a tekkaman get inside? "What? Where?"

"The medical bay."

Noal blinked in disbelief. "Miyuki. Of course, she's a tekkaman. What the hell are you…Wait." He had just realized the full message of the crewman. "What do you mean active?"

That was answered when a flash of red energy shot out of the Peacemillion and directly at the battle between Blade and the dark tekkamen. Noal was in shock as to the whole thing.

"I don't believe this."

Meanwhile, Shirken continued his assault on Blade while Sliver readied another beam-blade energy shot. Blade saw this and got ready to brace himself when he sensed it.

'_Brother!'_

"Miyuki!"

Oblivious, Sliver continued to target Blade when he was alerted to a flash of energy coming right at him. Shirken too, stopped in his assault and witnessed the energy coming right at them. Only when it zoomed close enough did they realize what it was.

_A crystal hawk…_

"What!"

The tekkamen dashed aside as the ruby crystal hawk flew on past. The energy then swirled around and came in for another attack and again, they had to dodge to avoid it. The energy wings soon came at Blade and stopped, materializing into the tekkaman form underneath.

"Miyuki. You're awake."

Miyuki –Tekkaman Rapier- nodded to him. "How…long has it been?"

Blade wanted to answer, but they both knew it would have to wait. Sliver and Shirken were beginning to regroup. Rapier summoned forth her sword lancer and prepared it as Blade leveled his own lancer again, splitting it into to weapons. They made ready for any attack the dup might bring, but to their surprise, the tekkamen flew away and disappeared. Rapier held her stance for a bit and then faltered back. Blade caught his sister just in time.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. Just…a little tired."

Blade nodded and flew back to the Peacemillion, with his beloved sister in his arms.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Mercurius and Vayate continued to rain down energy on Hellscythe who nimbly avoided the attacks. Hellscythe laughed beside himself.

"You've got to be kidding me. So this is like fighting the two of them at once, isn't it?"

Mercurius came in for another slash. Hellscythe tried to deflect it, but ended up in a block. Meanwhile, Vayate swooped in from behind and fired another blast from its cannon. Hellscythe shot his boosters to avoid the blast, but was nicked by it.

"Even so…"

Mercurius charged in again and Vayate began to lock on as well.

"They're pretty good copies…"

Suddenly, Hellscythe disappeared from view, causing the two dolls to stop for a moment. But a moment was all that Hellscythe needed as he reappeared a minute later, backslashing the paused Vayate and running it through with the scythe lancer.

"But they're still just dolls to me."

With one destroyed, Hellscythe move in on the Mercurius in full charge.

"You don't expect a gundam tekkaman to lose to Dolls!" he raged. Mercuried let loose it shields again, in an attempt to imprison the gundam inside the shield. But Hellscythe slashed them apart before they reached him and when Mercurius came in, it was slashed as well. Flying back, Hellscythe move in to finish.

"You've…**met your match!**"

Hellscythe sliced right through, cutting the final Doll in half and letting it explode behind him.

"Next time, you'd be better off programming my data."

The fight over, Hellscythe flew over to Hilde, whose Sol-Tekka was in bad shape. "Hilde. Hilde, say something. Hilde!"

A low moan came over the comm again and it took a bit longer for her to answer. "Hey, Duo. I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah, but you're in terrible shape. Why the hell did you come all the way out here for?"

Slowly, Hilde reached into her pocket and pulled out the disk. Fortunately, through the whole battle, it was undamaged. "I've have this data on Libra. Please, use it."

"Why? Why did you risk your life?"

"Because…well…I wanted to, Duo."

Hellscythe lowered his head. "Geez. You're a stupid fool!"

Hilde smiled, hearing the concern and worry despite the remark. "I figured you'd say something like that."

In the central battle, the remaining gundams and Space Knights had finished off the massive Doll force. With the fighting over, all returned to Peacemillion. This defeat was not unseen by the Libra.

"The Peacemillion task force has been completely wiped out."

Quinze stood in shock at this news, not believing that such a massive force to have been completely destroyed by a few tekkamen. Behind him, Dorothy giggled.

"That's such a shame. It's funny, that's what I predicted would happen to them." Dorothy stood from her seat. "Well, at least there something in the face that the tekkamen had to fight so hard." With another giggle, she left the still-stunned Quinze behind.

Onboard the Peacemillion, Hilde was taken in to the medical bay from loss of blood and Miyuki along with her, having passed out from exhaustion. Outside the bay, the group stood together in silence at this.

"We can't let that data she brought us go to waste." Quatre said to Duo.

"No…" Hilde had risked her life to bring it to them, so it must have been important. Duo soon turned to Heero, who was standing nearby.

"Heero. Relena Peacecraft is on Libra."

"She is?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah. Hilde said she met her there."

Heero looked away and out into the stars. With Relena in Libra, things were going to get tight for the coming battle.

'_Relena…'_

* * *

_**Space Knight Command Center**_

"So the Peacemillion is in that sector."

Honda, Millia and Aki were busy working in the command room. Actually, it was just Millia and Honda. Millia had insisted that Aki not do any work and always gave her irritated glances when she tried to. In the end, Aki wound up simply sitting there and watching their progress, and in truth she was grateful for the rest. She was more drained out than she thought. Currently, they were searching for the location of the Peacemillion although that took some time. In the end, it was verified that the Peacemillion was in a destroyed colony after a fierce battle with the Libra.

"Yeah. Good place to regroup." Aki stated.

Millia sat back in her seat. "Now we just need to get there and find out what's going on."

"The Blue Earth is ready to go at any time." Honda spoke in.

"Mind an extra passenger?"

The three turned to the sound of the new voice and their eyes widened with surprise. It was Dead End, but his appearance had changed. The once long hair had been cut short and the red nails he wore were removed as well. He still looked somewhat feminine, but now it wasn't obvious.

"Dead? Is that you?" Honda asked.

Dead smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Thought I change the look and move on." He glanced over at Aki. "…Chief. I'm sorry…for everything."

Aki blinked. That was the first time he had called her Chief and apologized to her. _'Looks like he got over his problems after all.'_ Or at least start to. Either way, this was a changed man that stood before them.

"Don't apologize. I'm just glad you didn't get too lost in despair."

Millia, who had been glaring at him, stood up from her seat and strode over to him. Honda nervously clutched the seat as he remembered the last time those two confronted each other. Millia soon stood before the young man and shut her eyes.

"Then I guess…I'm sorry for slapping you before."

Dead lowered his head. "You're the one that doesn't need to apologize. I deserved it."

"Perhaps. But I still am."

Honda decided to break the moment. "Well, we should get to work then, shouldn't we?" He then added humorously. "After all, we're on the brink of the end of civilization as we know it."

Aki gave a brief smile before ordering. "Right. Get the Blue Earth ready for takeoff. We have to find the others."

* * *

_**Unknown**_

"Rapier… So she survived too."

Sliver and Shirken had returned to their master to tell him of the new development. Even though they had failed in their mission, their master was unconcerned about it now.

"No matter." he continued. "She'll never reach her full power by the time we begin our conquest. And this will seal our victory." His head tilted to the side, revealing a single pulsing blob on the wall. _A tekkapod._

"The final gundam tekkaman. Awaken, Tekkaman Sai!"

The pod flashed and blinked in random lights and then exploded in a splash, releasing the new gundam tekkaman inside. The creature remained bent before its master and it eyes shimmered to life.

"I am here, master."

* * *

_The battle is underway and Trieze advances on toward Libra. But will the former friends really start this fight? Also, Heero manages to invade Libra and confront Zechs face to face, rescuing Relena along the way. Aki, Millia and Dead go out to meet the Peacemillion, but encounter trouble along the way. And in the darkness of the moon's shadow, a new force is ready to strike the final blow to all of mankind. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Milliardo's Decision._


	60. Milliardo's Decision

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

-

Chap. 60 (Wow)

-

_**Resource Satellite MO-II**_

Masses of Leo Sol-Tekkas swarmed around the satellite in preparation for the coming battle. They filled up the space so much that there seemed to be no end to them. Inside the base, Trieze marched toward the hanger, accompanied by a group of soldiers. As he passed, he could sense the anxiety of his troops. Sending his entire forces into the frontlines was a bold move, one that unnerved many of his troops. To reassure them, he declared that he would lead the troops personally. And his weapon of choice was awaiting him right now.

_The Tallgeese II Sol-Tekka…_

"Master Trieze, it's too dangerous for you to go out in the front." one of the soldiers spoke as he examined the machine.

Trieze didn't turn, but he answered. "Commander Milliardo, the leader of the White Fang, is also fighting on the front line. Just think of this as an act of courtesy to him."

"But…"

Trieze looked over at him. "Remember this well. A war without such courtesies creates nothing but slaughter." Trieze then looked down sadly. "That's why all the wars that have been fought on the earth in the past have been so tragic."

The soldier said nothing more and Trieze entered the Sol-Tekka. It made perfect sense after all. If a person was willing to fight, then a leader should be willing to die for those under his command. This would show that this would truly be the final battle.

And Treize had been in the backgrounds long enough…

* * *

_**Space**_

The Blue Earth had just shot out and away from the massive Space Ring and into deep space. As they flew on, they could make out the forms of Leo Sol-Tekkas, twinkling like stars. _'I've never seen so many before'_ Aki thought as she piloted the ship. Beside her, Millia, Dead and Honda worked at their own stations, but they too took in the sights of the immense army.

"They're not holding anything." Millia exclaimed.

"Yeah. I've never seen so many before in one place." Honda agreed, echoing Aki's thoughts.

"The Radham are waiting for this." Dead said quietly.

"Yeah." Millia replied, unknowingly agreeing with Dead. "An all out battle between Earth and the White Fang… They must be licking their lips right now."

"Time is against us." Aki said determinedly. "We must hurry and find the Peacemillion."

Suddenly, a blast of energy flew across the port side, causing the ship to tilt off to the opposite direction through force of turbulence. The crew strained under the near impact.

"What the heck was that?" Honda yelled out as he regained his bearings. His question was soon answered when he saw the glowing tekka-sets from both Dead and Aki. The attacker soon hovered in front of the Blue Earth 2, glaring menacingly at the Knights.

_Tekkaman Slayer…_

* * *

_**Peacemillion**_

Duo is floating down one of the corridors, heading toward the mess hall. Upon arriving, he finds both the remaining gundams and the Space Knights eating and doing other things. Only Heero and Yumi were missing.

"Where did Heero disappear to? "

Trowa answered while keeping his eyes in the book he was reading. "Out on a Virgo carrier we recovered. You know where he's heading."

That was obvious. He was heading straight for the Libra.

"What does he plan on doing? Fight the entire battlestation?" Duo questioned.

"Knowing him, he'll fight anyway he can." Wufei answered, flexing his arms with an exercise device.

Nearby, Quarte smiled softly. "Well, I don't think that was his only reason."

Duo blinked. "You mean he went to rescue that girl?"

"Yeah."

David grinned while reading a magazine. "I never pegged Heero to be the romantic type."

"You're not getting jealous, are you?" Anita teased. David cocked an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

Wufei frowned. "In that case, I've been giving him too much credit. I figured him as the sanest one among the lot of us."

"Well, that just goes to show what kind of woman she is to get a guy like Heero to react."

Wufei snorted and Trowa turned to him. "Wufei. If Heero does bring Relena here, at least welcome her. It's so easy to hurt a woman's feelings."

Wufei remained grimly silent, but both Natasha and Anita looked over at him in surprise. They never expected something like that from him. David noticed this right off.

"I guess Heero isn't the only one, heh."

Duo snickered a bit and then turned to Quatre again. "Hey Quatre. If we're going to go after him, shouldn't we head out now?"

"Now's not the time to be reducing Peacemillion's defenses." Quatre replied. Then, with another smile… "Besides, let them have their time alone."

"You guys really trust Heero, huh? He makes mistakes just like the rest of us."

A still silence followed that comment…

* * *

_**Libra  
**_

"This is the Peacemillion attack unit 02... Propulsion power defense system hit on the port side. Coming in for an emergency landing."

A damaged Virgo carrier was flying straight toward the Libra. Yet despite the outside look, it was carrying a very deadly weapon on board.

"This is the Libra bridge to confirm survivors. Please provide the following-"

The camera cut off and was followed by a quiet response.

"There aren't any survivors."

The carrier flew straight into the hanger and crashed inside. Alarm lights went off and crews hovered in as the carrier exploded in fire at several areas.

"Careful!" The officer in charge ordered. "It's possible that there's a saboteur in there. Status on the fire?"

"We're working on it!" Someone called from within the smoke. "Our hands are full!"

From within the smoke, someone floats away from the carrier. The officer turns to him.

"Hey you! Seal off this block! Make sure no one gets out!"

"Yes, sir."

The firefighter continued in their work, unaware that Heero had just gone past them. On the bridge, Quinze heard about the crashed carrier.

"You let an infiltrator slip through? You fool! This is the second time now! I specifically told you look out for this!"

"Calm down. I already predicted this would happen."

Quinze turned in surprise and Milliardo's comment. Continuing…

"But it did happen a lot sooner than I thought. Just goes to show you he's not a gundam for nothing."

From nearby, Dorothy asked lightly. "Mr. Milliardo, what do you plan on doing now?"

Standing up from his seat, he answered her. "Now that he's here, I'll have to confront him personally."

"But we still don't know who it is."

"I know exactly who it is." Milliardo replied, his tekka-set now glowing. "It has to be Heero Yuy."

Within the Libra, Relena was staring out of the window into space when she heard the door slide open behind her. Relena didn't bother to turn around and she quickly spoke.

"I have nothing to say except to my brother. I wish you would just leave me alone."

"I can't do that."

_'That voice..!'_ Shock instantly registered on her face as she turned around to see Heero standing there in the doorway.

"Noin and the others are feeling uneasy with you being here."

"I...I never would have thought you would come for me, Heero." Relena stammered. In all honesty, that was true. She really didn't expect this from him. With no role in the order of things now, there seemed to be no reason for him to protect her, much less come to her rescue. Before she could reflect further on this, Heero turned around and ushered to her.

"Come on."

"Wait." she replied, lifting her hand. "I still have to talk to..."

Heero stopped and turned an eye to her. "You mean Zechs? Do what you have to. I've got to see him too."

Heero continued out and Relena was stunned for a second. But then with a wistful smile, she followed her rescuer.

* * *

_**Space**_

Tekkaman Slayer continued to hover before the Blue Earth, lancer drawn. Yet she made no move to attack them…yet.

"What is she waiting for?" Millia whispered, somewhat nervously.

"Me."

The group turned to Dead, who was staring straight out at Slayer. Dead stood up from his seat, still looking on at his dark sister.

"You will have to go on without me."

"What?" Honda exclaimed. "Dead, you can't fight her alone. Who knows what she could do."

"She wants me. That's all." he explained. "She won't let you leave unless she gets me."

Aki moved beside him. "Dead. You can't expect us to just leave you here in danger."

"There's no choice." He finally turned away to look at her. "You have to regroup with the others. It's the only way you guys could stand a chance against the Radham now. You must tell Blade…" He stopped short and then continued. "The Radham base is on the Moon, near the Lunar Base site. It's buried, but he can find it. But you must go now."

"No." this came from Millia this time. However, it wasn't necessarily out of worry. "How can we trust you not to switch sides again?"

Dead lowered his head. He had changed sides once, so her fears were justified. "You will just have to trust me. I know it's a lot to ask for, but please. Time is running out."

"Fine. But if you change sides again, I don't care how powerful you are. I'm going to kill you."

"Millia!" Honda exclaimed.

"No. That suits me just fine." He then added determinedly. "But that won't happen."

Millia nodded. "Then…get going. We all have jobs to do."

Dead made his way to the airlock but stopped for a moment when Aki spoke.

"Be careful, Dead."

Dead turned to her and gave a light smile. He then continued into the airlock and when the door sealed behind him, he lifted his tekka-set crystal knife

_"Tek-Setta!"_

Erupting into a beam of energy, Dead shot out through the airlock and into space, all the while transforming into his powerful armored form. Black armor emerged and covered his body and by the time he reached Slayer, his metamorphosis was complete. Tekkaman Dead stood face to face with his sister, Tekkaman Slayer, as the Blue Earth continued its journey toward the Peacemillion.

"Nice of you to meet with me, Kenji. For the last time."

* * *

Inside a computer room aboard the Libra, Heero and Relena sat in the dark, with Heero searching for something on the computer and Relena standing nearby. 

"What are you doing?"

"The girl Hilde brought us some data on the Libra and it's coming in real handy." He then muttered. "He's not on the bridge at the moment…"

"Are you looking for my brother?"

"There are only a few places he could be at." Heero answered.

Relena closed her eyes and smiled. Leaning back on the terminal…"Well Heero, I must say. You truly are quite amazing."

"Look who's talking."

"No Heero, that's not true." Relena replied. "You've given me the strength and hope to live. I'm sure you must make others around you feel the same."

Heero turned his head to her. "Don't make me repeat it. I'm nothing compared to you."

"I…"

"Let's go." Heero said, cutting her off as he got up from his seat. "I've just found Zechs."**

* * *

**

_**Peacemillion**_

In the medical bay next to the now sleeping Hilde, Miyuki had awoken slowly from her bed. Everything was a bit hazy and unfamiliar, partly causing her to panic. However, as her vision came to focus, a sole figure strode toward her and sat down on a chair nearby. It was D-Boy.

"Is that really you, Takaya?"

D nodded his head and handed her a cup of warm tea. Miyuki struggled to sit upright and took the cup into her hands. However, she just stared into the tea and her reflection in it.

"What has happened to me?" Looking up at him. "To you?"

D-Boy then related to her from the time she had self-destructed to the continuing war, the defeat of Tekkaman Evil and Omega, the new Space Knights, the gundams tekkamen and finally his discovery of her resurrected body, which was used to create the gundams. D-Boy was almost afraid that it would be too much for his sister to handle. But she was always a strong one and after a long moment of silence, she regained her composure.

"I never would have imagined…" she replied softly. It was a lot to take in. The last thing she remembered was self-destructing in order to stop Evil and his compatriots. And that was years ago! Now it appears that she had awoken to a new battle. But as before, her brother was there for her.

"So what's happening now?"

D went on to explain more. "We're heading for the Libra battlestation controlled by the White Fang. The Earth is amassing a force to fight it as well."

"The White Fang… Is that a group controlled by the Radham?"

"No, although they are using Radham programmed Dolls. They want to destroy the Earth in order for the colonies to live in peace."

Miyuki blinked. "But surely they do not need to destroy the Earth to do that."

"I'm not entirely sure what both sides are planning, but we have to stop them." His eyes narrowed in a near frown. "There is a Radham presence lurking in the shadows and it will use this war to retake their foothold on the Earth."

Miyuki lowered her head and took a sip of her tea thoughtfully. It was very slight, but she was able to discern some disturbance in her brother's voice. She couldn't blame him. From what he told her, he had been continuing his fight against the Radham and actually managed to drive them away for the most part and even creating a group that would one day be strong enough to fight them. But now a war was coming in which everything he had fought for would be lost.

"…hm?"

From the doorway, a small sound was heard and the two turned around to see Yumi standing on the side of the doorway.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

D simply stared quietly at her while Miyuki replied. "Not at all. Please, come in." Yumi slowly came near the pair, grabbing a seat in the process. Miyuki smiled softly at the girl.

"You must be Yumi. I'm Miyuki."

Yumi smiled. "Nice to meet you. Are you really D's sister?"

"D?" She then blinked in realization and then turned to him. "Ah, I see you are still going by that name, Takaya."

Now it was Yumi's turn to blink, in surprise as she now turned to him. "That's your real name?"

D silently nodded and Yumi looked forward pleased, as if she had discovered a secret.

"Takaya… D-Boy…" she toyed.

Miyuki continued to smile and even D-Boy smiled at her childish expression. But just then, all their heads lit up with their tekka-sets. D-Boy was the first to recognize the call.

'_Aki…'_

"Chief!" Yumi exclaimed out loud.

Just then, Howard's voice came over the comm. "Space Knights, please report to the bridge. We have the Blue Earth on radar."

**

* * *

**

_**Libra**  
_

But Heero didn't want to take any chances as he held his gun in hand. He knew that Milliardo knew he was here. It was just a matter of time before he showed himself or made his intention known. They entered the darkened room and saw nothing. Just darkness.

"You finally made it."

The space before them lit up and there sitting at a desk was Milliardo Peacecraft. His gloved hands were folded neatly before his face as he stared at the two.

"Milliardo!" Relena began to rush to him, but Heero kept her back, leveling his gun in the process.

The White Fang commander regarded his sister. "Relena, I was under the impression that we were done talking."

"I am far from finished." she replied with determination.

Milliardo was somewhat impressed by her stubbornness, but he simply lowered his head slightly. "I have no intention of changing my mind." From behind, a massive screen lit up, showing the view of the Earth and the numerous forces of the World Nation. "You can see how far Trieze has gone. Libra will have to face this enormous military force now."

"Stop this at once!" Relena cried, stepping forward. "This is totally meaningless!"

"This is _not_ meaningless!" Milliardo shot back with equal severity. "Even if it becomes a disgrace to future generations, the battle itself has plenty of meaning to it."

"Oh, Milliardo…"

Heero brushed past her and addressed Milliardo. "Listen. I don't know what going on between you and Trieze, but don't go getting other people involved."

"The battle must involve a great deal of people…" Milliardo answered mildly. "…Because the problem faces all of humanity."

"Is that how an Earther like yourself became the leader of the colonies?"

The silver-haired man sighed. "The colonies gave into their will to fight, took steps to arm themselves and elected me as their representative and, if you're having problems…" He stood up from his seat. "You're from the colonies, so why aren't you leading the White Fang?" His eyes narrowed. "Otherwise, you could always team up with me, Heero."

* * *

**_Peacemillion_ **

"Is there a problem?"

The Space Knights reached the bridge in time to see the transmission between Peacemillion and the now-approaching Blue Earth. The remaining gundams joined them as well and it was Duo who asked the previous question.

"I'm trying to find out now." Noal answered, while the technicians worked to adjust the screen. It finally cleared and Aki's face appeared on the screen.

"Chief!"

Aki didn't stop for formalities. "The Radham are located near the Lunar Base on the Moon. They are waiting for the battle between the Earth and the White Fang."

"The Moon… Again…" This came from D-Boy, who stood in the background. Memories of his horrific battle with Tekkaman Omega came into his mind.

"We've encountered some trouble on the way here, but Dead is taking care of it."

"Dead? What do you mean?" David said in surprise.

"I will explain it when we dock. But now it is imperative to reach the Lunar Base and stop the Radham before they make their move."

"We're still on course to Libra." Quatre explained. "We have to stop the fighting there as well."

"That may not be possible." Millia now spoke. "With the amount of forces both sides have, it may be too much, even for all of you."

"There is something else." Aki added in. "During a Radham attack on the Command Center, the Sol-Tekka Dolls turned against their masters and fought with the Radham."

"That means…" Sally began.

D-Boy finished. "That the White Fang is using the Radham's secret weapon."

* * *

_**Libra**_

"The time has come, hasn't it Mr. Treize?

Dorothy sat in thoughtful contemplation, awaiting the fateful battle to come. Now it was time for Trieze to make his move. Once that is done, then nothing would stop the fight.

"Ms. Dorothy, the Libra units are in position and the main array has finished charging." Quinze announced. He wasn't as eager as Dorothy for a protracted battle and wanted to get rid of the Earth Forces as soon as possible.

"We should wait for Mr. Milliardo."

"But at this rate…"

Dorothy cut him off with a sharp glance. "We should follow Mr. Milliardo's orders. Isn't that right?"

"Of course, but…"

But he had nothing more to say and Dorothy simply turned away from him with a smile

Elsewhere on the Libra…

"Us team up? Figures you'd say something that crazy." Heero answered, lifting his gun to aim at Milliardo's face.

"Is that your answer?"

Rather than answer, Heero had a question of his own. "How about explaining what you meant when you said this battle had plenty of meaning to it."

"Unless we fight, no on will know how foolish fighting really is. We must make all of mankind see that."

"So why did you take on the job?"

"Heero Yuy, the former head of the colonies and King Peacecraft, both tried to endorse total pacifism." he explained. "One in space, the other on Earth."

"Our father did?" Relena said quietly.

Milliardo finished. "I'm just carrying on our father's ideals"

"Our father's ideals?" she gasped. Now it didn't make any sense. "Are you saying this war, this grossly pathetic war, will lead us all into total pacifism?"

"That's right."

"You're wrong, Milliardo." Relena shot back. "Peace can not be obtained through fighting."

Milliardo's face brightened slightly at her words. "That's perfect. That's just how you should be."

"I understand." Heero lowered his gun and turned to her. "That should be enough. Your role in this is now over."

Heero turned around and walked away, leaving Relena in dismay as to what had transpired.

"Relena…"

Relena turned back to him and found him smiling softly at her. "Please try to get through this alive. Goodbye, my dear little sister. Goodbye."

The image of Milliardo flickered and then disappeared altogether. Relena stepped back in shock.

"It was just a hologram…" Realizing that Heero had left her behind, she simply turned around and followed him.

"Heero."

Meanwhile, the real Milliardo stepped onto the bridge of the Libra and took his seat in the commander's chair.

"Enemy units are within range." Quinze informed him.

"And the main cannon?"

"Fully charged." Dorothy answered. "But the enemy is coming in Sol-Tekkas."

He turned to her. "I'll send off warnings, but if Trieze doesn't heed, I might fire."

"Huh?" Dorothy was stunned. That wasn't what she expected, at all. As if answer to her wonder, he continued.

"I've been trying to rid myself of my gentle nature."

"Whatever you say sir…" was the worried reply.

* * *

_**Space**  
_

The numerous forces of Sol-Tekka carriers flew through space, heading straight for the Libra. In front of the armada was Trieze in his Tallgeese II Sol-Tekka, station on top of the lead carrier like a general on horseback. Inside, Trieze kept his eyes glued to the battlestation ahead when he received a transmission from MO-II

"Excellency, a warning has been issued from Commander Milliardo of the White Fang. He says that if we continue to advance, he'll fire Libra's main cannon."

"Alright." The Tallgesse lifted its arm, alert the troops behind him. "This is Trieze. All troops hold your positions. "

As order, the moving carriers suddenly stopped in place. Trieze looked over to make sure things were okay and then gave another order.

"All units, stand by until further orders."

Igniting the Tallgeese's booster, Trieze soared off the carrier and toward the Libra alone.

"Your Excellency, please come back!" the officer over the comm cried. "Your Excellency!"

"Enemy unit approaching rapidly." an officer aboard the Libra called out.

Quinze wasted no time. "Send out the Virgos!"

"Withdraw those orders." was Milliardo's sharp response.

"Commander?"

The commander kept his eyes on the screen and the approaching Sol-Tekka. "It's the Tallgeese that's approaching. I can guess who the pilot is."

The Tallgeese drew closer and then stopped. Trieze then opened a channel to the Libra. "This is Trieze Khuserenada, Sovereign of the World Nation. I wish to challenge Milliardo Peacecraft, leader of the White Fang, to a duel."

"A duel?" Quinze said with disbelief. "Is he serious?"

"Can't be." One of the other officers replied. "A Sol-Tekka against and tekkaman is crazy."

"Mr. Trieze…" Dorothy whispered.

Milliardo remained quiet though, knowing that Trieze was very serious

"Commander Milliardo, I await your reply." Trieze asked after a moment of silence. His face was now on the monitor screen for Milliardo to see. "Let me remind you that your answer will be interpreted as your solution to this war."

"My answer…is no!"

Dorothy turned to him in shock and Trieze was a bit surprised as well.

"Well then."

'_But why, Mr. Milliardo?'_ Dorothy wondered.

As if reading her thoughts, Milliardo explained. "I am no longer an OZ soldier. Therefore chivalry has absolutely no meaning to me. I am now fighting for the people's wish for a revolution. There's no way we can decide on the destiny of the colony citizens on a simple duel."

With that explanation, Trieze closed his eyes and smiled. "I see. You've made the correct decision."

"Trieze, we will eliminate everyone and anyone who gets in our way."

Trieze softly opened his eyes, with all seriousness. "Milliardo, as you are aware, the Earth is behind me. We will not go back because I love the Earth."

Now it was Milliardo's turn to shut his eyes and smile. "Heh, that's the Trieze I know so well."

Dorothy didn't like this turn of events. "Mr. Milliardo, please wait…"

Milliardo's eyes opened dangerously. "Prepare to fire the cannon. Set target for the Tallgeese and the resource satellite MO-II."

This order even had Quinze shaken. "What? Hit the Tallgeese with the cannon?"

"Just fire." he demanded. "Trieze is asking for it."

Dorothy began to plea. "Mr. Milliardo, please reconsider. You can not fire at Mr. Trieze."

Milliardo wasn't hearing any of it though and he turned to Quinze. "Quinze, come and restrain Dorothy. She's a traitor.""

Dorothy gasped and Quinze was all too happy to oblige by pulling out his gun. "Right."

Dorothy was trapped and she simply held her place, still trying to plea with him. "Mr. Milliardo…"

"Now!" Trieze suddenly cried and sent the Tallgeese II into full blast toward Libra.

"Enemy unit continuing its approach."

Milliardo stared at the rapidly approaching Sol-Tekka. _'I admire your resolution, Trieze.'_

"Main cannon fully charged."

"If you defeat me, you will have earned your victory." Trieze said as he continued his suicidal approach. "Go ahead and fire! For the peace of Earth and Outer Space!"

Millarido roared back. "My enemy's the Earth and you're Earth chief representative, Trieze Khusrenada!"

"Target locked." the firing officer spoke. "Standing by to fire."

Milliardo lifted himself up and moved over to the officer's station. "Let me. I want to finish Trieze myself."

The officer moved out of the seat and Milliardo took its place, his finger ready to push the button that would end Trieze's existence. The Tallgeese II continued to approach at full speed and Milliardo's finger drew closer to the firing button.

"Noooo!"

Dorothy suddenly lunged over at Milliardo, attempting to knock him away from the firing mechanism.

"You mustn't! No!"

"Get out of my way!" Milliardo snarled. "This is the only path to peace!"

Milliardo managed to reach out past her and hit the trigger. The cannon of the Libra lit up and exploded in a white flash of light, with a beam of energy tearing through space and toward Trieze. Despite the impending doom, Trieze continued to approach. But suddenly out of nowhere, a Leo Sol-Tekka cruiser flew through space toward the Tallgeese. The cruiser hit the Tallgeese and pushed it out of the way. But it itself was engulfed by the beam, with the Sol-Tekka separating from the cruiser just in time to avoid the full impact of the beam. The beam continued on, destroying the carriers in its path and blasting the side of MO-II. In the dead of space, Tallgeese II floated before the sole Sol-Tekka as it opened up and revealing a female figure in an astrosuit. Triezs gasps in surprise at the identity.

"Lady Une."

_Libra's bridge …_

Dorothy stood in the back as everyone was dead silent over what had transpired. "Mr. Milliardo…"

"Drop it. Be quiet." he whispered sharply.

Quinze turned to a nearby officer. "How long until the array can be fired again?"

The officer quickly responded. "It'll take a hundred and forty minute to charge up the cannon."

Another officer quickly spoke out in alarm. "Sol-Tekkas are approaching from behind. They're Earth forces! We're in a position to be attack from both sides.

Quinze glared. "Blast! Dispatch the Virgos." Turning to Milliardo, he added snidely. "I hope you don't have a problem with that, Commander."

Milliardo said nothing, merely snarling in anger

Bath in space, Lady Une floated away from her damaged suit and into the arms of the Tallgesse II.

" Lady…" Trieze asked softly. What did you do that for?"

"Mr. Trieze…One must fight the battle to understand its beauty."

Trieze nodded in agreement and opened a comm to his forces. "Attention all units. Destroy Libra now!"

The Sol-Tekka carriers continued their advance toward Libra. Libra soon unleashed its horde of Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls and in response, the Earth set loose its Leo Sol-Tekkas.

The battle had begun…

* * *

_**Moon**_

In the shadow of the Moon, another force was making ready for its attack. The Radham had all assembled at this one point, waiting for the battle between Earth and Space. And in the forefront of this new force was the dark tekkamen. Sliver, Shirken, Shrapnel, Sai; all waiting for their master's order to execute their attack, who in fact was watching patiently for the moment to strike.

"Soon, Earth with be mine and all the inhabitants of Earth and Space will finally belong to the Radham. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

* * *

_The great battle between Earth and the White Fang has begun. But with both sides embroiled in the fight, they are unaware of the Radham trap that is soon to be unleashed. The gundams and the Space Knights must battle two great forces in the hopes to save everyone before it is too late. Can all of humanity survive this conflict or will it destroy them all? Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Collision in Space_


	61. Collision in Space

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

-

_AN: It's back. And ready for the finish._

-

Chap. 61

-

The swarm of Leo Sol-Tekkas swarmed ahead in space, with the mighty battleship Libra ahead of them as their target. Leading the troops is the leader of the World Nation himself, Treize Khusrenada, in his Tallgeese II Sol-Tekka.

"Fellow comrades, only warriors exist in this world. That purity is what makes this battlefield so beautiful. Let us finish the final battle of mankind, and keep the horrors of war away from our home."

In response, the pilots of the machines cheered and with loud battle cries, they attacked their enemies, the White Fang and their Sol-Tekka Dolls. As the battle erupted, from the orbiting satellite MO-II, Lady Une, who had recently recovered from a coma, was organizing events from behind the battle.

"This battle is a crucial moment in our history. It must become something for people to talk about for generations to come. For that reason, many warriors here will end up having to sacrifice their lives."

Aboard the Libra, officer there too were moving into action, sending out the powerful Virgo Sol-Tekka dolls, unaware of the true nature that lay within their programming.

"All Mobile Doll troops have entered battle with the enemy's main troops and commando units." Quinze announced as the battle emerged before them. Behind him, Dorothy Catalona watched with interest and beside her, the leader of the White Fang, Milliardo Peacecraft, took in the fighting with less enthusiasm but greater purpose.

"This battle is only the beginning. We must make the Earth…and all its residents know the strength and determination of the space colonies."

As so, the battle went on, each side fighting for ideas that had to be settled, for a peace that seem at this point impossible. However, there was more to this than either side could see as key individuals were soon to make their own presence known in this great battle.

* * *

_**Space Ring**_

"Not hungry?"

"No."

Just below the oncoming battle between Earth and Space, Dead and Slayer sat at a table with plates of food in front of them. Due to the declared battle, all residents of that area had left, leaving the two siblings to themselves in a small café. While Dead was a bit apprehensive and anxious, Slayer was calmly eating the meal in front of her. Her crimson eyes locked onto Dead's at his refusal to eat.

"Ah, come now. You should eat. As it stands, you'll need all the strength you can get." She paused from eating and looked up at the transparent glass revealing outer space. "Hm, it has begun. Look Dead. Look upon the foolishness of your humans. Honestly, fighting each other." She lowered her head back to her meal. "It's quite sad when you think about it."

"Why do you say that?"

In truth, Dead didn't know why he asked that. He simply wanted this moment to pass and hope that they wouldn't have to come to blows. But for that to happen, there had to be some communication, some way to get her to understand. But he had to hear her side first.

"They would rather destroy themselves rather than submit to anyone." she replied, shaking her head. "Even to their own kind."

Dead simply remained silent. What could he say? A part of what she said was true. Humans seemed to always be in a continuous battle, whether it be with themselves or the Radham. It was as if they lived only to fight.

"They are nothing more than animals." Slayer continued. "Wild and untamed."

Dead narrowed his eyes. "Is that what you believe?"

"Look above you. The proof as they say, is in the pudding." After saying that, she grabbed a nearby cup of pudding and began to slowly eat the dessert, as to put emphasis on what she said.

"You might be right. But as long as there are people who want nothing to do with this, then as a Space Knight, I will protect them from such horror. Horrors like Black September..."

Both Slayer and Dead were partly surprised by his response, for different reasons. Slayer was surprised that after all that had happened and what they were seeing now, he would still want to side with the Earth. For Dead, his surprise came from the fact that for the first time, he openly declared himself a Space Knight. Slayer let out a low sigh and twirled her spoon.

"Hm. I guess that you're not going to join me after all."

"I could say the same, but please..." He looked over at the person sitting across from him, hoping that some part of her was his sister; that she wouldn't partake in this. "Leave your master. Join the Space Knights with me. Then maybe, you'll understand what I'm talking about."

Slayer lowered her eyes to the pudding cup and lifted in up to her face. "I think…this will be the only thing I miss. The delicacies." Taking the last of the dessert in her mouth, she slurped it right off. "But it is a small price to pay…" Her eyes snapped up to Dead fiercely. "…for the coming new order!

"Aurora…"

"Aurora is dead!" In a snap, the woman shot up from her seat, pushing the table over and causing the contents to spill out on the floor. Dead rose up as well, only to see her now holding her tekkaset crystal. "I am Tekkaman Slayer!"

"Don't do this!"

_"Tek-Setta!"_

Exploding in a blast of energy, Slayer transformed into her battle form. Armor formed and weaponry emerged as the last of Dead End's disappeared and was reborn as Tekkaman Slayer. Upon seeing this, Dead End saw that he had no choice. Unsheathing his tekka-knife, he soon called forth his own powers.

_"Tek-Setta!"_

With the same blast of energy, Dead End stretched out his arms and let the transformation take place. His own dark armor formed around him and his lancer shimmered in his hand. Once again, Tekkaman Dead must face Tekkaman Slayer. And this time, there must be a victor. But unfortunately for Dead, that meant one thing.

The loser must die…

* * *

_**Libra**_

As the battle played out in the vastness of space, technicians and repairmen went to work in keeping Libra working, repairing the main cannon so they can use it again. However, as they went about this work, in one of the weapon bays, Heero sat silently with his arms folded and eyes closed. Beside him, Relena stood up over him, wondering just what they could do to stop this war.

"Heero…"

"I'm going to stay here until this battle settles."

"Huh?"

"It would be hard for Trieze to destroy Libra right now." he answered her. "So when the time comes, I'll do it myself."

"But I still think we have to stop this battle." Relena pressed. "Dictators are the only ones who sacrifice lives in order to achieve peace." Although Zechs had explained it to her, she still couldn't see that to being the best solution. She didn't see it as a solution at all.

The young tekkaman simply replied back. "But Zechs and Treize are ready to sacrifice their own lives. That's why I have no intention of stopping them." From his point of view, that just made things easier for him. But more importantly, that was how things were to play out. The Zero Crystal showed him that much.

"But…"

Suddenly, he turned to look up at her. "You stay right here with me."

"Huh?" She was stunned to hear this from him and slowly asked. "You're going to protect me, Heero?"

Heero turned back to his previous stance. "I just don't want to feel I owe Zechs something when we end up fighting."

Relena regarded the answer and simply smiled. True, she was now powerless to do anything about this battle. But if someone was capable of putting an end to it, it would be Heero. And…the thought of staying with him pleased her. With a mental nod, she settled down and took a seat beside him.

"If this battleship really does go do, there wouldn't be any reason for you to fight my brother."

Now it was Heero's turn to regard her…

* * *

_**Peacemillion**_

Not far from the ongoing battle, the white ship was treading through space toward the fighting. Onboard, the onlookers watched the battle between the World Nation and the White Fang play itself out.

"So far, the two sides are pretty even." Howard explained. Turning to the tekkamen behind him, he questioned. "So…who will we side with?"

"Well, it looks even now. But that's because Libra hasn't fired its main cannon." Trowa noted.

Duo added with a smirk. "Because every time they fire, it needs to be fixed. That's helping out the Earth's side. But once it's fixed, then the White Fang will have the advantage."

Anita folded her arms. "I doubt the colonies would endorse battle on this level, whether the White Fang represents them or not."

"The White Fang is only representing the opinions a potion of the colonies." Quatre said in return. "Not the colonies as a whole. I'm sure there are people in the colonies that are hoping for peace."

"Maybe…" Wufei said from nearby. "But would helping Trieze really be in the best interests of space?"

"Trieze is fighting only the Libra and the Sol-Tekka Dolls." Quatre answered. "Not the colonies."

Goliate nodded. "True enough. He declared it himself. He wants it to end here."

"Not only that, but the Dolls are connected to the Radham in some way." Hayato added. "They have to be stopped before it's too late." Whatever it was that was happening to the dolls, it was fairly certain that the Radham had some sort of control over them. That being the case, they had to be stopped before they could be allowed to turn against everyone; World Nation and White Fang included.

"Those are good points." Torwa replied. "The main threat right now is definitely the Libra and the White Fang."

Wufei looked over at the screen and mentally nodded. "You've sold me. That thing's got way too much power."

"But what about Heero and Miss Relena?" Sally asked.

Another smirking reply from Duo. "They'll be just fine, knowing him."

Howard readdressed the group. "Okay. So it's settled?"

"You bet." Quatre confirmed. "Just keep Peacemillion headed for Libra."

David then added. "And while you guys are doing that, we'll destroy as many Dolls as we can until you can shut them down. At the very least, we can reduce their number in case they decide to turn mid-battle."

Noin turned to the Space Knights. "If that's the case, you should go immediately then."

"Yeah." Turning to the exit door, he motioned to the others. "Come on, team. Let's go."

David exited the bridge with the other behind him. As they moved to the hanger bay, Hayato noticed Yumi slowing down in front of him. Floating to the side, he noticed her down expression.

"Is something wrong, Yumi?"

The young Space Knight blinked and shook her head. "Oh, I'm fine." Her eyes lowered again. "It's just…"

"You're worried about D-Boy." he sighed.

"A little." she admitted.

"You shouldn't worry." the pilot assured her. "He and the Chief can handle themselves. But we have to focus on our part."

"You're right." Yumi nodded, trying to cheer herself up. But then she added thoughtfully. "Hey, I never thought you become so determined, Hayato."

The young man scratched the back of his head shyly as his face began to flush a bit from embarrassment. After all the battles and fighting he had been through, it was this one compliment from Yumi that made him forget all about it. And then reality caught up to him, in the form of David's mocking voice.

"Hey, you lovebirds, let's get a move on it already."

They both floated on to catch up, now with both their faces red with embarrassment…

* * *

_**Lunar Orbit**_

In the shadow of the moon, the Blue Earth 2 soared silently toward the lone object. Inside, the three occupants were equally silent as they drew closer. The moon hasn't exactly been the place of good memories for them, especially for D-Boy. Even now, he could vividly remember the last time he came here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Greetings! It's been too long, Blade._

_Yes, Omega. I couldn't agree more. I should have taken you out a long time ago._

_Easier said than done, Tekkaman. What's that? Evil's crystal. So he who was once your brother Shinya is no more. Sword, too, is gone. You consider yourself noble and good. What have you done but betray us and murder you friends and your own flesh and blood. Now you come for me. Do you seek the obliteration of your entire family? Is that it? Shall none of us survive?_

_Kengo?_

_Yes, little brother. Until the Radham chose me as their Warlord. The Tekka-pods aboard their probe knew I was the strongest life form on the Argos, that I would let nothing stop me. Nothing! You are too late. My strength is restored and the Mothership is aloft. The planet below belongs to me now._

_No, it's never too late. Not while I'm alive._

_That's a condition soon to change. _

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

That was his most grueling battle, far more so than his fight against Evil previously. But in the end, Blade's determination and will brought him victory. But it came with a cost. The first Pegasus was destroyed and with it, Blade's tekka-set crystal. Not only that, but his memory had been lost as well and he no longer knew of himself as the white tekkaman, nor did he remember the painful and brutal battles he had gone through. But Omega had been defeated and with him the Radham. With Aki constantly at his side taking care of him, he could finally obtain the peace he had deserved.

Or so they thought…

Some months after the battle, the tekka-pods that was still active on Earth and in the colonies sprouted forth, imprisoning hundreds and beginning the process of transforming them into Radham tekkamen. The Space Knights went to work on trying to free the prisoners, but the remaining Radham fiercely guarded the sites and their efforts were greatly reduced. It was then that the military created the first line of Leo Sol-Tekkas. With this added force, they were able to clear much of the Earth, but that left the colonies. But the military refused to help them, leaving them to fend off for themselves with only the Space Knights to render any aid.

At the same time, D-Boy began to have nightmares, triggered by the telepathic cries of those captured. This also began to trigger him memory and ultimately restoring it. With his memory returned, D-Boy sought to help, but without his crystal, he was powerless. But then, he somehow managed to cause it to materialize from his body as before and transform, once again becoming Tekkaman Blade. It was discovered that the crystal was able to regenerate, although it took a great deal of time to do so. Also, because of the power imbued upon him by Evil's crystal, Blade was even more powerful in his normal state than ever before, capable of flying from Earth to the Moon without the need of a second crystal. But more importantly, the time limit that had been a curse on Blade seemed to have disappeared, although the reasons for that were unknown. With his powers restored, Blade cleared the Earth of the last of the Radham pods as well as the ones in space. But a great deal of people was already altered into primary bodies, the halfway point between human and tekkaman. A large number were from the colonies, thus giving the military a target and ultimately leading up to the tragedy of Black September. As D-Boy looked on, he couldn't help but wonder if he was fated to go through such a nightmare again.

Behind D-Boy and Aki, Noal noticed D-Boy's dejected expression as well as Aki's worried glance. He didn't blame them for it. They were on a serious mission and once again, time was not on their side. _'Guess I'll have to break the ice…again.'_

"Isn't this something. Us flying through the stars, a horde of Radham in our faces, all in a desperate bid to try and save the Earth and the Colonies. Just like the good old days."

"Don't say that." Aki whispered with a light smile. "It makes me feel old."

Noal grinned. "Ah, come on. You know you'll still be beautiful while I'll be old, gray and in a wheelchair somewhere. I'm sure D will agree with me, right?"

Lowering his head in slight embarrassment, D made no reply in return but he did smile. The moment however, was lost when the alert signal went off, telling them they were approaching the lunar surface. Skimming over the gray ground, the Blue Earth landed just a distance away from the abandoned Lunar Base. Since the Dolls were first engineered there, it was the ideal place to start. Not only that, but it was near the former site of Omega's mothership. D-Boy and Aki exited first, wearing spacesuits to protect them from space. Behind them, Pegasus 2 marched out of the hanger bay with Noal beside him, piloting his old Sol-Tekka suit. The four figured moved toward the base, approaching the horizon point and just seeing the battle between Earth and the White Fang in the distance.

"Whoa." Noal whistled. "They certainly unloaded the full extras in that fight. I've never seen anything like it.

D-Boy took it in astonishment as well. "I don't think…anyone has."

It was then that both her tekka-set and D-Boy's glowed on their foreheads. At that moment, the ground before them began to erupt, causing them to back away. The base was soon engulf in a great chasm and crumbled within it. The team soon got to their bearing when they saw it. Hordes of Radham streaked into the sky, lining up in battle formation.

"My god." Aki spoke breathlessly. "There are so many."

"They must have been gathering here for months." Noal added.

Amidst the swarm of Radham, four distinct figures emerged and spotted the team. They were recognized immediately. Tekkamen. The human tekkamen under the control of the Radham.

_Shrapnel, Sliver, Shirken, and Sai…_

"Well, this just keeps getting better." Noal muttered.

The crimson eyes of the four warriors glowed venomously at the team, but they were mostly centered in on their leader, D-Boy.

"Tekkaman Blade." Sliver hissed. "We meet again. And you brought more company this time."

Shrapnel soon stepped in to speak. "You've come just in time to see the grand conquest of the Earth. And this time, you will not stand in our master's way."

"Who's way?" D shouted. "Who is your master!"

"The only way to know the answer is to go through us." Shirken answered. "And this time, you will not walk away alive." Raising his arm, he called for a dozen Radham reinforcements from the army behind him and with loud shrieks; they assembled behind the dark tekkamen.

"None of you will."

Aki had heard enough. It was obvious the direction this would take and she wanted to get in as soon as possible. Turning to the machine behind her… _"Pegasus, Tek-Setta!"_

"Command acknowledged."

The machine whirled around and opened its interlock chamber. Aki wasted no time in dive inside and the chamber closed up, releasing her moments later, now as the Scarlet Tekkaman. D-Boy watched this and followed suit, summoning his emerald crystal into his hand.

_"Tek-Setta!"_

The glow of the crystal and the flash of light engulfed D-Boy as the white armor of his legendary persona came to form. Emerald eyes shimmered brightly as his form came to the full, revealing the white tekkaman; Tekkaman Blade. Having watched their transfomation from behind, Noal set himself ready for combat, his quantum energy cannon already targeting the Radham that were beginning to charge in.

"Just like the good old days…"

* * *

As the battle raged on before the Libra, from the outskirts of the battlefield, Alpha, Beta and Gamma approached the heated fighting. The team of six watched the battle with great amazement as they saw just how fierce the fighting was. 

"Man, this is going to be rough no matter how we approach it." Goliate muttered sternly.

"Well, at least all those practice lessons won't go to waste." Anita added.

"Our targets are the Dolls." Natasha reviewed. "It shouldn't be too hard not to get them and the Earth force mixed up."

Hayato nodded in agreement. "I'll say. Why would they battle in Leo Sol-Tekkas against Virgo Dolls?

"It doesn't seem to matter." Goliate spoke in again. "Howard mentioned earlier that they were evenly matched anyway."

"That will change if the Radham start controlling them, so we better get to work." This came from Yumi, which surprised a good deal of them. But Hayato remembered how she felt before about fighting in this, how she had almost killed a Sol-Tekka pilot and decided not to fight at first. But now, things were different. Now she needed to fight if humanity were to survive. She just had to count on herself not to slip up and hurt somebody. While they got ready, Anita noticed that David was strangely quiet.

"David. Is something wrong?"

"I thought I…" he started. However, he stopped and became silent again. Shaking his head, he focused on the situation before him. "It's nothing. I'm fine. Yumi's right. We better get to work."

With nothing else to discuss, the starjets soared right into the thick of battle, blazing a path into the White Fang's Sol-Tekka Dolls. As the pilots maintained their focus on flying, their passengers went about their entry into the battle.

_"Tek-Setta!"_

Three beams of light soared out of the starjets and settled on top of them. Each beam materialized into an armored warrior, the next generation of Space Knights.

_"Tekkaman Hiver!"_

_"Tekkaman Vesna!"_

_"Tekkaman Sommer!"_

A second later, they added more heat to the battle…

* * *

_**Libra**_

"The Space Knights?" Quinze said in surprise to the appearance of the three. "What in the world are they doing here?"

"Their loyalty has always been to the Earth, so I guess it's no surprise." Milliardo answered simply. Even though their actions brought questions to his mind, he dismissed them as they were irrelevant to this battle.

"If they're here, that means the Peacemillion and the Gundams must be nearby." Quinze reasoned. "Scan the area and see."

The officer went to work and soon discovered the ship in question. "We've confirmed Peacemillion's location. They're going around the battle zone and coming toward us."

Quinze was exasperated by this report. Their approach meant that they were going to attack them from the side. "Those idiots. The Gundams are regarding us as enemies even at a time like this."

The mocking laugher of Dorothy echoed behind him. "That's no surprise. From their prospective, every force is an enemy."

"This is no laughing matter." Quinze growled, wheeling around. "We can't afford to send our front line Mobile Dolls to face them. We have no means to stop them."

Milliardo suddenly arose from his seat. "I'll face them."

"What? You will?"

Moving to the exit, he continued. "I'm taking three Virgos with me."

"Only three?" Quinze didn't know how much more of this he could take. "That's crazy."

"It's enough to keep me alive." was the final reply before he left the room altogether. Quinze called out to him, but it was in vain. Dorothy simply stood by, watching the battle continuing before her. Turning back, he refocused on his job.

"Listen up. Is the main cannon fixed yet?"

* * *

_**Peacemillion**_

_"Tek-Setta!"_

In flashes of light, the four gundams soared out into space, transforming into their alternate forms. With Noin accompanying them once again, the warriors began a rapid approach to the Libra.

"Noin..." Tekkaman Sandrock spoke. "Please stay and guard Peacemillion. It has few defenses if it is attacked and I think I know who we'll be facing."

Noin knew exactly who Quatre meant. But she couldn't face him right now and the young gundam was simply getting her out of an awkward situation. Still…

"Roger that."

As Noin backed off and remained with the Peacemillion, the four continued toward Libra. However, they didn't have to wait long to receive some company from the White Fang.

"Here they come."

A group of four was rapidly moving on an intercept course toward them. As they moved closer, the gundams soon saw their opponents.

"It's him." Hellscythe announced, seeing the form of Tekkaman Epyon soaring at them with three Virgos at his heels. "But he's only got three Virgos with him. This will be a snap."

I'll teach you..." Epyon muttered at Hellscythe's remark. "This is how Mobile Dolls should be used."

"Here goes!" Hellscythe cried, bringing his scythe lancer up high to strike at Epyon. But Epyon simply allowed him to charge, alerting Sandrock that something was wrong.

"Wait, Duo!"

"What!"

The lancer struck, but not on Epyon. Rather, it hit the energy shield of the Virgo Doll, which had projected it in front of Epyon to protect its master. The crimson gundam chuckled darkly as the remaining Dolls fired on Hellscythe, knocking him back.

"Guuaahhhh!"

"Duo!"

* * *

The battle between the two forces continued to grow more fiercely as both sides were destroying one another. The Virgo Dolls coldly eliminated any Leo Sol-Tekka that came before them. But in return, Trieze, with the Tallgesse II as his weapon, destroyed every Doll he saw with minimal effort, thus displaying his true skill in battle. 

"Fighting Dolls is certainly dull."

His side monitor soon lit up, revealing Lady Une's face as she began to inform him the present battle situation.

"Your Excellency... The Space Knights are engaged in battle against the enemy dolls opposite of where you are."

The commander's eyes lit up at this news. "Yes… Well, that is a surprise. I never thought I would be fighting alongside them. But I suspect neither did they expect to join forces with me."

In all honesty, he would have figured that the Space Knights would have had a different part to play in this battle; something other than direct battle. But then again, this war was to involve all of mankind. The Space Knights were no exception.

Lady Une continued. "Also, the Gundams have entered a battle with Epyon."

"Seems that Zechs is truly hated by those Gundams." he smiled halfway. "I would gladly thank them for their help, but the fact is they're not necessarily fighting for my sake."

"Please be careful."

**"**Thank you." Trieze returned. "But our objectives are the same. Libra must go down. That's for certain."

* * *

Back at the battle between the Gundams, the four tekkamen worked hard to attack Epyon, only to find their efforts wasted and their attacks dismissed. Every time they attacked, the crimson tekkaman would simply evade their attacks and leave off altogether or deflect and block them with the help of the Virgos. With the Dolls supporting him, he had a defense that was impposble to get through. 

"Yahhhhhh!"

Rushing in at high speed to attack, Tekkaman Altron stabbed forward at Epyon, only to hit dead space as Epyon dodge and flew around behind him.

"What!"

Heavyarms flew in from the opposite side and let loose a stream of energy fire at Epyon. But they were all deflected by the shield of the Sol-Tekka Dolls

"These-"

Finally, Epyon broke out of his defense and went on the attack, slashing at Sandrock furiously. Sandrock dodged the first attack, locked with Epyon's second and pushed back, giving himself some room and opening him for an above attack from Hellscythe. But as soon as Hellscythe dove in, Epyon was on the move again, ignoring him totally and attacking Sandrock once again.

"Why does he keep attacking Quatre?" Hellscythe thought out loud.

"They want to decrease their enemies." Sandrock explained as Epyon and the Dolls closed in on him once more. "Maybe they think I'm the easiest to knock off."

"Just trying to crush the brain first." Zechs was no fool. He knew that it was because of Quatre's quick thinking and leadership that allowed them all to survive that last fight and push Dorothy to make the radical decision of having the Libra fire. If there was a gundam tekkaman to target in this, it would be him.

"In that case..." Sandrock continued to fly back, but began to slow down in order to let Epyon approach. _'If I keep them close to me…'_ By pulling them in close quarters, he could allow the others to enter into formation and take down the Dolls, leaving Epyon by himself without his defense.

Heavyarms quickly saw Sandrock's plan and called to the others. "Duo! Wufei!"

The two caught on as well. "Right."

Unfortunately, Epyon caught on to it as well, and called for two of the Dolls to fire back, thus breaking them up and causing them to scatter a bit.

"Hmph. I won't let you get into any formation."

With a Doll beside him, Epyon swung and Sandrock again and Sandrock once again was prey to the might force of Tekkaman Epyon's blade lancer.

"Guhh!"

* * *

Meanwhile, a good distance away, the Space Knights were in their continuous battle against the Sol-Tekka Dolls and so far, they were doing quite well. The Sol-Tekka Dolls were no longer equipped with the disrupter crystals in order to have better maneuverability and because they didn't expect to face tekkamen in this battle. This gave the trio a huge advantage of power as they tore through the line of machines. 

There were only two problems. One, the obvious reason, is the sheer numbers of the Dolls. It was more than they had imagined and fighting through them was proving to be quite a strain. The second…

"Yahhhh!"

Hiver slashed the sword lancer across a pair of Dolls and landed back on Alpha ship. As Hayato was wheeling around for another pass, Hiver caught sight of a trio of Leos locked in battle with the Dolls and losing badly. One had been blown away and the second was critically damaged. The third, the leader, was desperately fighting off the incoming Dolls, but the were relentless and still coming in. Reacting, Hiver suddenly leaped off of Alpha and toward the fight.

"Yumi! Where are you going?"

Hiver gave no reply and swooped in. At that point, the Leo Sol-Tekka that had been firing had run out of power and was now stuck in the same situation as his friend. The damaged Sol-Tekka hovered behind him.

"I'm sorry, sir."

The leader turned to look back, even though death was about to come to them. "No. I'm the one who's sorry."

The Doll came in and locked on to the two targets. They were moments away from firing when a flash of light halted their attack. The bright pink of the young tekkaman came into view and the lancer she held flew across, hacking the Dolls down in seconds. As she did, the damaged Sol-Tekka pilot, a young man, had watched in complete amazement as she had flown in and saved their lives.

_'Wow… Beautiful…'_

However, that moment was put aside as more dolls now swarmed in on Tekkaman Hiver. She would be able to dodge the fire, but then the Leo pilots behind her would be slaughtered. So that only left one option, one she realized as she crossed her arms in front of herself.

Taking it…

"Naahh!"

"Hang on, Yumi!"

Hayato quickly swerved his ship around to support her, but then a group of Sol-Tekkas forced him to fly off, blocking his path to get to Hiver, who was still taking in damage from the attacking Dolls.

"Yumi! No!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the very center of the battle, Trieze has just sliced through one of the Dolls with his saber and then whirled around to effortlessly blast away two more Dolls. Seeing that he was clear for the moment, he examined the progress of his forces. Even though they were in technically lesser grade machines, they nevertheless fought valiantly in this battle, being on par with the soulless machines. But even still, the battle had yet to reach the Libra. 

"Nice work, Milliardo. The Sol-Tekkas are right where you want them."

His eyes swept across the battlefield. "Even our commando unit can't get any closer to Libra."

His eyes soon caught sight of Hiver and her defense of the two Sol-Tekkas behind her. Lowering his head and briefly shutting his eyes, he smiled at her.

"I will have to remember to thank that one. She seems to understand what this battle is really about."

Blaster fire soon brought his attention back as his quiet time was now gone with the incoming swarm of Dolls. His energy cannon charging up again, Trize swooped into the fight once again.

* * *

_**Libra**_

"Has MO-II still not moved during the battle?"

The officer immediately answered. "No. They've done nothing but take in damaged mobile suits, sir."

Quinze nodded at this information. "I thought they might have a new weapon, but maybe they're nothing more than a supply base. Okay." He then ordered. "We'll move the Libra..."

"Wait." Dorothy replied. Quinze turned his head to her as she continued. "Are you going to destroy this beautiful view of the clash between the two forces?"

"Miss Dorothy, Commander Milliardo declined Treize's offer to a duel." Quinze reminded her. As far as the situation was concerned, there was no need for such formalities or sentiments. They had a war to win and that was that. Dorothy said nothing in return, knowing that he was right. Turning back to the officer, Quinze continued with his order. "Calculate a course that will take us around MO-II to Earth. And don't forget to inform the commander."

Moments later, the diamond form of the Libra began to drift away from the battle, continuing on its course toward the Earth. In the battlefield, Trieze watched the Libra's continuation toward the planet. Opening his channel for Milliardo to hear, Trieze quietly spoke.

"That was the correct decision. But can you tell the people of space that this decision is also a very sad one, Milliardo?"

Meanwhile, as Tekkaman Epyon continued his fight against the other gundam tekkamen, he heard Trieze's words and answered them, with one of his Virgo Dolls deflecting an attack from Tekkaman Heavyarms.

"No problem... Right now, we must show Earth how sad it is here in space."

* * *

_**Peacemillion**_

"Libra leaving the line of battle!" the officer announced of Libra's sudden movement. "It's heading for MO-II!"

"At the moment, MO-II has little military force and it can't move on its own." Howard reasoned. Looking at the path of the Libra, he concluded. "I'm guessing Libra will go around MO-II and head straight for the Earth."

Milly placed her arms on her hips. "Talk about an open shot. With Trieze occupied with the battle, there nothing really to stop them."

Sally Po looked over at her friend briefly. "Except for us." Turning back, she spoke. "Let's go after them."

The officer in front of her turned back to her and replied. "What's the point if we don't even have the weapons we need to destroy Libra?"

Despite its design, the Peacemillion had little weaponry to offer, as it was built with the Peacecraft's principles in mind. And even if it did, they certainly couldn't compete with the firepower of the Libra. Sally knew this and yet she continued.

"Sure we have the weapons... Enough to destroy Libra's main cannon."

The crew in front jumped up in shock as they immediately realized what she was talking about. They didn't have the weapons to stop the Libra or the cannon, per say. That left only one outrageous option as the Peacemillion did have one offense to offer.

_Itself…_

"Wait a second...You don't...!"

"Evacuate all civilians." Sally ordered. "MO-II will take them in."

Howard lowered his head, seeing as how that was their only option and that it couldn't be helped. "Alright... Very well then... Right! Everyone move to the sub-bridge now."

* * *

"Yumi, no!" 

Hayato was in desperate straits as his starjet was being held back by the Dolls heavy forces. Behind them, Hiver was still being assaulted by the Dolls, using her body to shield the Leo Sol-Tekkas behind her. But her body wouldn't be able to take damage like that for long. The lead pilot watched the young Knight take the damage in wonderment. Shaking it away, he charged his cannon, flew up beside her, and let out a single shot. One of the Dolls was hit, but it was damaged minimally. In return, the Dolls re-aimed on him and fired mercilessly. Hiver turned in shock at the Sol-Tekka was shredded by the fire, with the pilot within letting out his final words.

"Watch over the kid for me, please…Guaahh!"

As the machine exploded, Hiver was put into total shock as a living human being was killed in front of her. Her eyes shimmered as she turned back to the Dolls, which were targeting her again. For the first time, Hiver felt…anger. Anger at the Dolls for the death they were responsible for, anger at this war that would kill countless other, and anger…at herself for being powerless to stop any of it. Her head crystal lit up and she crossed her arms. She wanted to unleash the power of the Reactor Voltekka on all of them, but despite that, she knew that would be a bad idea. True, she would be able to get them all, but with the Dolls and the World Nation forces so intermingled, she would wind up destroying them as well, killing more people. She wouldn't do that. She would not make the mistake she made when she first used the Reactor Voltekka and damaged the Space Ring. Taking a glance back at the helpless soldier, she decided to fulfill the soldier's dying request.

_"Reactor…Voltekka!"_

The pink swirling beam flashed out briefly and then split up in four directions, each circling back and around both Hiver and the Sol-Tekka. The beam met and collided and then returned back, bouncing off and going back and forth, creating a shield of energy around the two. The Dolls continued to fire on them, but their weapons were unable to penetrate the shield. And their attempts were soon silence as a whirling blade soared through space and chopped them down. Moments later, Tekkaman Vesna dove in to slice through was remained of Sommer's boomerang lancer. Together, the two tekkamen, along with their starjets, moved in toward Hiver's shield, which lowered on their approach.

"Yumi, are you alright?"

Hiver lowered her head as she de-activated the shield and answered somberly. "Yeah. Just fine."

Alpha flew up next to her and Hayato looked over at the downcast tekkaman. He had seen what had happened, but had been unable to reach either her or them in time. "I'm sorry, Yumi. I tried to reach you, but…I'm sorry."

Hiver raised her head and looked at him. "Hayato, can you do me a favor?" She then indicated to the damaged Sol-Tekka. "Can you get him someplace safe?"

"Okay, Yumi."

Alpha soon drifted over to the Sol-Tekka and hooked it on the top. As Alpha flew on past, the pilot within whispered to her a thanks. Alpha soon flew away and was then joined by other object, all heading to MO-II. The three tekkamen looked up and soon saw that several escape ships were disembarking from the Peacemillion and heading for the satellite while the massive ship itself was heading straight for Libra. But this movement was not lost to the White Fang commander as Tekkaman Epyon noticed the ship's rapid approach to the Libra and realized just what they were attempting to do.

"I suppose that's the obvious decision, but I'm not going to let you take Libra down."

Breaking away from his battle with the other gundam tekkamen, Epyon soared straight toward Peacemillion, planning on taking it down before it completed its course. The Dolls followed him immediately after and the gundams soon saw where Epyon was heading.

"They're after Peacemillion..." Hellscythe gasped. Without delay, he soared up after them. "We have to stop them."

Sandrock, Altron and Heavyarm all followed suit, chasing after the retreating forces. However, the Dolls broke away from Epyon and fired back. The Gundams were forced to halt in their pursuit and deal with the Dolls once again. Heavyarm let out a stream of energy blast, but they were easily deflected as the Dolls all aligned together and connected their shields together.

"It's no use." Sandrock informed. "The three Dolls are working together to form a single powerful shield. We've got to move in and destroy them."

Epyon took a look back, seeing that the four tekkamen were now too preoccupied with the Dolls to stop him. However, upon looking back at his target, he was able to make out a single white figure floating just between him and the Peacemillion. A white Taurus Sol-Tekka…

Noin…

"Noin, get out of my way." he demanded.

However, the response he received was quite the opposite. "No, Zechs. I'd really rather not have to fight you. But I..."

In show of her stand, she raised up the space cannon that had been aboard the Peacemillion. It was clearly powerful enough to stop a tekkaman, even a gundam.

"Noin!" Epyon raged, with desperation in his voice. "Get out of here!"

"I'm not moving!" Noin shot back, feeling her heart beginning to crack. "Even if it means having to kill you!"

_'Noin!'_

_'Zechs...' _

"Miss Noin!" Sandrock cried as he sliced apart one of the Dolls.

Epyon shone in a fiery emerald as he charged at her in his crystal hawk. Noin kept her weapon trained on him, but didn't fire.

"What are you waiting for!" Hellscythe shouted, hacking apart the second Doll.

Epyon soared ever closer to Noin, ready to destroy her completely. Noin however, remained as before; cannon trained, but not firing.

"What're you doing!" Altron yelled as he finished off the final Doll. "Shoot him!"

"Miss Noin!"

She heard the cries of the gundams, yet she could not bring herself to fire upon Epyon…upon Zechs. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. So in the end, and to Epyon's shock, she lowered her weapon and closed her eyes. The flare of the crystal hawk soared ever closer and then suddenly at the last second…he veered away. Noin opened her eyes in shock, as she was expecting the worse but finds that she was still very much alive. Snarling to himself, Epyon relinquished his energy, but continued to fly away

"I don't understand? Why am I still so...weak?"

Noin simply watched as Epyon flew away, knowing that despite everything that he had done, he was still the same inside. He was still the same man she…

"Oh, Zechs..."

* * *

_**Moon**_

**Booossshhh! Booooooshhh!**

More Radham fell from the energy blasts of Noal's Sol-Tekka as the battle on the Moon flared in earnest. The Space Knight was glad that his time in prison had not dulled his skills in a Sol-Tekka although by his account, he was a bit slower that before. But then again, he was one of the first people to use and master such machines.

"Like riding a bike…" he whispered to himself as he fired again.

Meanwhile, in the space not too far, Blade and Aki were in a savage battle against the dark tekkamen. Blade was in a battling against the team of Sliver and Sai, the newest dark tekkaman. This one was female, based off the armor appearance, with long pale hair flowing from behind. As her name depicts, she was armed with two forked daggers, which she used to jab in at Blade when she flew in close. Leveling his lancer, Blade parried the blow and was about to strike back, but then Sliver dove in from above and cut off his attack, locking lancer with him. Blade quickly pushed back and wheeled in time to deflect another one of Sai's attack, which had come in really close. Further above, Shirken crossed his arms and sent out a swarm of energy darts. Blade was forced into a defensive stance and trailed back slightly. At this, the first came at him again simultaneously, but were stopped when Pegasus flew in between them. As the machine flew on past, Aki suddenly leapt of and lunged, clashing with Sliver and pushing him down to the moon.

"Demon $!" Sliver snarled as he hit the ground. Aki flew back for distance, but snapped her head back when Shrapnel came at her, lunging with his axe-lancer. Aki quickly sidestepped and as Shranel came at her again, she hopped up and Pegasus swooped underneath, taking her away while Shrapnel missed. But Sliver had caught on to he and as she flew away, he pursued close and fired one of his beams. Aki was knocked off Pegasus and managed to rotate in space to recover, but now, both Shrapnel and Sliver where coming after her.

Blade meanwhile, continued to fight against Sai and Shirken, with Shirken attacking from a distance and Sai flying in for the kill. Blade twirled his lancer to deflect the energy darts, but that didn't stop Sai from colliding into him and nearly hammering him down to the moon. As she was in close proximity, she twirled one of her daggers to stab, but Blade pushed her back. Shirken began to come in for another wave of attack, but Blade suddenly snapped his lancer up, releasing the jagged boomerangs that were on the lancer's edges. Shirken had to stop and dodge the projectile as they flew back and forth, ultimately reconnecting with Blade's lancer. But when they did, Shirken soon found his face meeting with Blade's shoulder.

"Guaahhhh!"

Blade turned around to resume fighting with Sai when his tekka-set shimmered. His attention turned to the moon, to the chasm that the Radhma were coming out of. Something was down there, something that these four were protecting. Their master…

"We have to get down there."

Noal fired on another pair of Radham creatures, only to face a dozen more. "Easier said done, Blade." He took down more of the Radham and then looked up.

"Aw, what the hell."

Re-aiming his cannon, he fired on Sai, who was beginning to fly up to Blade, and diverting her attack. Noal quickly motioned to Blade. "Well, get going. We'll handle these guys."

"He's right." Aki added, deflecting Sliver's attack. "Go."

"Aki?"

Blade couldn't just leave them behind; not with these four. Each one of them were nearly as powerful as he was. Only their experience and teamwork had put them on par with them. But if he left, they may not last a few minutes. Aki saw, no…Aki sensed his hesitation and whispered to him.

"I have always fought beside you and I always will."

Blade went silent. She was right. No matter what happened in the past, they were always together. And they would continue on even after this. But that depended on him and his actions. And something was down there; something far more dangerous than the Radham army gathering above. And he was the only one that could possibly stop it now.

"But first, a parting gift…"

His shoulder cells opened up and he loosely aimed them at the four. In a flash, the blue-green wave of energy shot out, causing the four to scatter and frantically fly out of the way. Aki too, had to duck under the power of Blade's voltekka as it soared over her. But Shirken wasn't so fortunate as the top half of his body was engulfed in the wave.

"Naaaahhhhhhh!"

"Alright, go!" Noal spat out. Blade nodded and flew into the chasm below, leaving Aki and Noal with the three remaining tekkamen, all very pissed off at the fall of their comrade.

"You've just sealed your fates."

* * *

_**Libra**_

**"**The Peacemillion is about to plow into us."

Alarmed as well, Quinze check the viewscreen to see the rapidly moving Peacemillion coming straight at them.

"What! You're kidding. Are we able to dodge it?"

"No!" the officer yelled. "There isn't enough time!"

Frantic, Quinze immediately ordered. "Deploy all cannons. Shoot that ship down!"

The laser cannon of the Libra all targeted the approaching Peacemillion and gave way to fire. The Peacemillion took the damage and continued on its course toward Libra.

"You're sure about smashing into them?" Milly questioned, suited in a space suit along with everyone else.

Sally Po answered. "Yeah, so we'll put out their main weapon."

"Use the BG-Wide booster as well." Howard ordered the pilot up front. "I don't care if it wrecks the engine."

"Roger!"

The Peacemillion increased in speed, totally ignoring all the energy blasts that were coming upon it. From their place, the Gundams and Noin watched the scene unfold.

"Hey! Have they gone out of their minds?" Hellscythe asked astonished.

"No choice." Heavyarm replied. "It's the only option that's left."

Meanwhile, amid the battle, the Space Knights also saw what was about to happen between the Libra and Peacemillion.

"Talk about reckless." Anita said. "They're really going for it."

"Not only that. I think it just might work." Sommer added.

In another part of the battlefield, Trieze too sees the collision course of the Peacemillion and raises his Sol-Tekka's arm in salute.

"I have to applaud your courage."

Back to the Libra, the laser cannons were doing nothing to stop or even slow down the Peacemillion. A crash was inevitable. Seeing this, Quinze drops to the ground and covers his head.

"They're gonna hit us!"

Dorothy took a different approach and threw out emergency commands. "Stop the engines now! All units prepare for collision!"

Within the Libra, Heero pauses in a hallway and listens. Relena stops as well and looks at Heero questioningly.

"Heero...What's happening?"

Heero suddenly ordered. "Get down now and cover up your head."

"Huh?"

The gundam quickly turned around and explained. "Peacemillion's plowing into us."

The Peacemillion gained greater speed, using so much energy that some of the engines themselves blew out. Onboard, the crew braced themselves for impact, seeing the Libra's cannon in the viewscreen before them.

"Engines One and Three damaged! Well I guess now we don't have to turn them off!" Sally smiled as they drew closer, with the officer still talking.

"Alright! **How about some excitement!**"

The viewscreen cut off and was soon followed by loud whining and other sounds as the Peacemillion smashed right into the Libra and tore right to the inside. The cannon was so completely engulfed by the Peacemillion that it ceased to exist. The Peacemillion itself soon stopped, resulting in a trashed fusion of the white ship and the Libra.

"Well, that was something." Milly sighed.

Aboard the now wrecked Peacemillion, the remaining crews scattered about in various jobs as well as escapes. On the secondary bridge, the command crew directed the orders.

"Okay. Leave the damage report for later!" Howard ordered, slamming his fist into the console. "Extinguish the fires outside the fuel tanks!"

Meanwhile, the Libra was faring just the same, with emergency crews moving about franticly to fix whatever problems there were. On the command deck, the personnel were checking the totally extent of damage to the space station.

"The main cannon has been completely destroyed." was the unfortunate announcement. "Luckily it didn't explode because it wasn't charged up."

Quinze was completely distraught. The White Fang had lost their greatest weapon. Without the cannon, their plans seemed to be going up in the same debris as the station. "I don't believe it... How could this be…?" His head lowered sadly. "This is the end...for Libra."

Dorothy overheard the elder man and whirled. "We still have not lost this battle!"

True enough, despite the collision of the Libra and the Peacemillion, the battle between the Earth and the White Fang continued to rage on. Destroying another set of Dolls, Trieze pressed on.

"That's right... This battle will continue until every Mobile Doll is destroyed. All units, keep fighting." he encouraged.

Within one of the Libra's damaged areas, a hunk of metal rose up from the debris and suddenly toppled over, revealing both Heero and Relena underneath it. Relena began to revive while Heero glanced around the area. Looking up, she realized what Heero had done.

"Thank you Heero... Thank you for protecting me."

Heero gave no response as he continued to look around. They could still be in danger there and they had to find their way to the Peacemillion. Relena was about to rise, but then noticed a stain of blood on his jacket. Apparently, when he shielded her from the debris, he didn't escape unscathed.

"Heero... you're hurt."

"It's nothing serious." he replied simply, still looking around.

"Eh? But..." She found that hard to believe, seeing as how it was still bleeding. But then again, it was Heero she was talking about here. This was starting to feel like déjà vu to her actually.

"Now Zechs won't have his victory." he spoke again.

She blinked at him. "What do you mean by that, Heero?"

"Forget it." He finally turned to her. "It's time to go."

Above the Libra/Peacemillion wreckage, Epyon hovered over the two structure in examination and contacted Quinze.

"What's the damage?"

Quinze gave a downhearted reply. "The main cannon is completely useless."

Epyon, however, didn't seem discouraged. "And the engine?"

Quinze blinked at the question, but steadily answered. "Well it has been damaged sir. But it can still get up to seventy percent capacity."

The emerald eyes of Epyon shone. "Then we still have a strategy."

Elsewhere, the gundams and Noin were also examining the wreckage, with amazement.

"Oh, man. That was one big collision if I ever seen one." Hellscythe admonished.

Heavyarm then added. "As it stand now, it would be hard to destroy just the Libra."

True enough, even though the White Fang had lost their biggest weapon, Libra was still mostly intact and as such, it was still a threat. Soon the group received a transmission from Sally within Peacemillion.

"This is the Peacemillon. We're not at any risk of exploding right now, but we're pretty much stuck here."

"Understood." Sandrock replied. "We'll board Libra and take over the ship from within. We'll destroy the Mobile Doll control system and then order the White Fang to surrender. Also, we've got to find Heero and Miss Relena."

At that point, Milly's broke in to the transmission. "Have you received any word from Yumi and the others?"

"No, but with things as chaotic as they are now, we aren't sure about anything right now. But we do have to stop the source of the Dolls before anything else happens."

Hellscythe lifted his lancer partly. "So we're going in? This reminds me of the old days."

Suddenly, Altron breaks away from the group and begins to motion toward the continuing battle. Hellscythe turns to him as he begins go.

"What's wrong Wufei?"

"I'll leave it to you." was his only response before soaring away in a flash.

"Hey, hang on! Wufei!"

"Just let him go." Heavyarm interrupted. "He's keeping an old promise."

"Huh?"

Sandrock recalled their attention to the matter at hand. "We should hurry and get to Libra."

The four drift closer to Libra, searching for a hanger bay in with to invade the station. But as they skim across the edge of the station, the white Taurus Sol-Tekka breaks away and flies off.

"Miss Noin?"

Her response came in a crackle of sobs. "I'm sorry... but... I... I just..."

Her encounter with Eypon was more than she could bear. She had been brought into a direct conflict with him and that was something she never wanted. This was simply too much for her now. Sandrock gave a sympathetic nod and replied.

"Feel free to go, Miss Noin..."

With now only three left, the gundam tekkamen smashed into the hanger bay, infiltrating the Libra and readying to do some damage on the inside. Their presence was quickly known to the Libra's remaining command crew and thus reported.

"Gundams entering through Gate 17. There's no way to stop them."

"Can't help it with the Gundams." Dorothy said in frustration. "Just keep them from getting anywhere near our principle sections!"

* * *

Back to the battle outside, the battle continued on as more Leo Sol-Tekkas and their pilots were being wiped out by the relentless force of the Dolls. 

"Damn those cursed Mobile Dolls!"

A Doll was about to aim at him when it was suddenly impaled by a trident weapon. Nearby, Trieze noticed to commotion and looked to see the fighting form of Altron tearing through the Dolls fiercely, saving the Leo pilots nearby.

"A gundam! Are the gundams backing us as well?"

Trieze smiled to himself at the familiar person. "His appearance has changed… but it's that kid, without a doubt."

Altron continued to charge through the Dolls, seeking to move closer to Trieze. For him, this was a chance to finish the fight they had some time ago.

"Treize! When this fight is over... I'll test your justice!"

* * *

Back aboard the Libra, Heero and Relena found a locker room with some space suits for use. Heero began to slide his on, the bandage on his arm (courtesy of Relena) disappearing beneath it. As he zipped up, he instructed the girl before him. 

"Once we're on Peacemillion, follow Howard's instructions and get out of here."

"I want to talk to my brother just one more time." Relena insisted. Heero simply grabbed his helmet and moved on.

"It won't help. Zechs' decision is final."

_'So is yours, it seems.'_ With a sigh, Relena closed the locker door, grabbed her own helmet and followed him out.

* * *

Elsewhere on the Libra, White Fang soldiers were scattered around, searching for the gundams that had entered in their area. Seeing that there were no sounds of destruction, it was safe to assume that the youths were in their normal states. That would make it easier for them to sneak around, as they were known for doing. As a unit passed on in the hall, Duo, who had been hiding in the beams above, floated down low and moved on. He and the others had managed to find a hanger of their own along with weapons for support. As Duo floated by, he scanned the area. 

"Heh... This area's obviously used for confinement."

The youth suddenly stopped and turned back, seeing a door that was locked off. Placing his ear on it, he could make out sounds of rustling inside. Prisoners…

"All right... I'm here." Reaching into one of his pockets, he produces a plastic explosion and seals it against the door. He then warned. "Step away from the door if you don't want to get hurt."

Backing away himself, he ignites the charge and it lets out a low pooff, breaking the lock. Moving back, Duo forces the door open and begins to peer inside.

"Hey Heero. Is that you? Huh?"

Eyes going wide, he suddenly shuts the door back and leans back against it in shock.

"What the...? That definitely wasn't what I was expecting to find."

* * *

Elsewhere, Trowa finds himself in a Virgo hanger area. Row of silent Dolls stand motionless and he floated past them. Suddenly from the opposite end of the hanger, two White Fang soldiers appear. 

"Hey! Got him!"

The two open fire, but Trowa suddenly leaped up into the air and flips through the zero-G. The two watch in amazement as the gundam tekkaman lands right on the other side of the hanger and out of their range. With a low bow, Trowa continues on, with the two still stunned by his act.

* * *

In another part, Quatre is hiding away from a unit of White Fang troop and manages to sneak past them. He continues on silently until he senses…something. Something…quite familiar…and disturbing. Turning, his attention is drawn to an open room and he slowly moves beside it. Not taking any chances, Quatre draws his gun, whirls in and point. But the room is empty, save for one single figure standing in the gun's path. Upon looking closely, Quatre soon recognizes the person before him. 

"So it's you. Dorothy Catalonia."

"That's right, Quatre Raberba Winner." she smirks, raising her own gun smoothly and then firing…

* * *

At the prison cell, Duo had gotten over his shock and re-entered the cell to his unwelcome find; the Gundam engineers. He had explained to them what had happened and they simply filled in the blanks, along with some new details of their own. 

"So Zechs wanted to send a tremendous blow to the Earth." Dr. J summarized. "And by using such a significant impact, he wanted to awaken the fears of war in an earnest desire for hope in the hearts of the people."

"That's the reason we ended up helping build Libra, and we even redeveloped the Vayate and Mercurius" Professor G added.

"Ahh." Duo muttered grimly as he recalled his battle with the two said machines. "So I've got you to thank for the trouble I went through."

J soon cut back in. "Well, we did add a little something to Libra's main cannon."

"We built an error into it so it can't fire consecutively." G finished off.

"Huh." Well, that did explain why such a powerful weapon as the Libra was limited in itself, but Duo wasn't satisfied. "No kidding. Is that so?" Rising up, he directed his gun at the five. "And you think that atones for your sins!"

G replied calmly. "No. Of course we don't."

Professor H soon spoke in. "Right. It's not payback time yet."

At this, the five laughed to themselves, obviously telling the young gundam that there was more disaster to come from them. With a pained sigh, he lowered his gun.

"I knew it. Wish I hadn't found these guys."

* * *

_**Peacemillion**_

"I got through to MO-II." Milly announced. "We're clear."

"Okay!" Howard replied. "MO-II acknowledges us. All units, prepare to escape."

Sally's attention however was diverted when she received a message from one of the lower decks. Turning to Howard, she relayed it. "Howard... Heero says he wants someone to come down to escort Miss Relena."

"What?" the man said in disbelief. "When did he get back?"

"I'll go." Milly hopped out of her seat and began to head down to the lower hanger deck, where Heero and Relena awaited. After sending his message, Heero moved toward the hanger's exit, holding his tekka-set crystal in his hand. Relena simply watched as he moved on.

"Heero..."

* * *

Atop the Libra, Tekkaman Epyon gazed over at the blue-green planet before him when a sudden motion from behind catches his attention. His head turned slightly, but he didn't have to look to know who it was. 

"Noin..."

"It's me. I won't try to stop you. Just let me stay here by your side."

After a long pause, Epyon simply replied back. "Do as you desire."

Looking back, he continued to look upon the Earth, to him, a symbol of all that was wrong. And it was up to him to bring about the fate that it was destined for.

_'Planet Earth... You're about to learn a lesson. The real crushing blow is yet to come...'_

* * *

_True to Milliardo's words, a crushing blow was coming toward the Earth. But will it be from the White Fang and what remains of the Libra or the secret Radham force heading toward the Earth? As humanity wages a war for peace, the true victory will be decided between the powers of a few. Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Takeoff into Confusion_

* * *

_AN: I…might have overdid it a bit. Massive information download, heh..._


	62. Takeoff into Confusion

Disclaimer: Seep previous chapters

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_AN: Again, I went a little overboard. But it's worth it, I'd say._

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Chap. 62

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**Bang!**

The bullet from Dorothy's gun hit Quatre's straight on, knocking the weapon out of his hand. Quatre held his hand for a moment and rubbed it as he refocused on the girl before him, who was still holding the gun on him.

"This is no time to be fighting! It's too dangerous to stay on this battleship!"

Despite his words, however, he had an ominous feeling from her. A dark…and familiar sensation. Dorothy's sharp eyes remained on him and she began lowering the gun, but the sensation still remained in Quatre.

"Quatre Raberba Winner...I thought so. You're by far the most misguided one out of all the Gundam Tekkamen."

* * *

Noal was in trouble…

Maybe trouble was too small a word, even for a guy who had survived the First Radham War, then later was imprisoned for a long time by secret forces. Right now, he almost wished he was still in his cell. After Blade's departure underground, he and Aki worked to fend off the remaining dark tekkamen. Even though the majority of the dark tekkamen were ignoring him, it seemed that one, Shrapnel, was taking a particular interest in toying with him. Noal tried hard to attack, firing bolt after bolt at him. But despite his large bulk, Shrapnel nimbly dodged each blast and slowly walked toward the Space Knight.

"Come on. I'm right here." he taunted. "You'd think with a gun that big, you'd be able to hit a target like me. I guess all you wannabe tekkamen are all show and no substance."

"I'll show you substance." Noal grumbled to himself as he took another aim at the tekkaman. But instead of firing directly at him, he shot a blast off the left, hoping that Shrapnel would veer off there and take the hit. But to his half-surprise, Shrapnel didn't even try to move and the blast flew on past him, exploding behind.

"Now that was just pitiful. Perhaps I should demonstrate a more proficient attack?"

Shrapnel's boosters soon ignited to full and he soar across the lunar soil; his axe-lancer held high and ready to cut the Sol-Tekka and pilot in half. But just as he moved in close, Noal shot off into space, leaving the tekkaman behind for a second.

Which is all it took for his real plan to kick in…

**BOOOM!**

After Noal had fired his failed shot, he had left behind a quantum grenade just under himself. When Shrapnel attack, Noal dodged and the bomb was triggered, blowing up the tekkaman with it. Noal landed back on the moonsoil, training his gun in the flowing dust particles. Had that been a thermal fusion bomb, he would be less worried and more confident that he did real damage. He knew first-hand how much damage a tekkaman could take. But that grenade should have been strong enough to damage Shrapnel.

So you could imagine his surprise when he found Shrapnel walk out without a scratch on him…

"Are you kidding me?"

"Hello? Gundaminum armor, remember?" the tekkaman mocked as he patted his armored chest. "Capable of taking more that than puny thing. That was an interesting trick though. What else have you got? Heh, heh, heh…"

Shrapnel continued his slow, deadly stride toward Noal, who was now fresh out of ideas. _'Aki… I could sure use your help right now.'_

Speaking of which, Aki herself was in a grueling lock with Tekkaman Sai and beginning to be forced back, the daggers of the dark gundam tekkaman edging closer to her. She had been battling Sliver earlier and managed to floor him, but this tekkaman cornered her down, putting her in the position she was in now. Aki was injured and her armor showing burning marks from Sliver's attacks on it, showing her weakened condition. But she would not yield. She couldn't. Not as long as she was with Blade.

Not after everything they had been through together…

She hadn't even realized when she began to love him. Perhaps that moment when the Radham attacked the military base where D-Boy was being imprisoned. She and Noal had gone in to save him, but his despair at the taunts of being called a monster had taken a great deal of his confidence and sanity. But when he risked his life to save her, she told him that a monster would not do such a thing.

_"Actions are what prove a man's worth…"_

Thanks to her, he regained his humanity and continued to fight. But unknown to him at the time, it was that moment when they realized how much they meant to one another. It took more time (and Noal's encouraging) for them to finally come to grips with their feelings about each other and express them. Even the war, as hard and as painful as it was, was not enough to break the bond between them. They had fought so hard for it and nothing short of death would stop them.

Aki made sure of it…

After Omega's defeat and the sudden attack by the tekka-pods and the remaining Radham, it was decided that only a tekkaman would be able to quell these disasters. However, D-Boy had completely lost his memory and his crystal at the time had been destroyed. However, they still had Evil's crystal, which had some power left and with it, a chance. The current Chief, Freeman, had wanted to use the crystal to recreate a tekkaman, with D-Boy as its wielder. Aki however, would not stand for it and insisted that she take the place of D-boy instead, not wanting to put his life in that kind of peril again. It was a pain-staking choice, but ultimately, Aki got what she demanded and thus, with the recreated Pegasus II, she was reborn as a tekkaman. The Scarlet Tekkaman…

But it wasn't without its side effects…

For starters, Aki's normally blue hair had been changed to emerald green, just like D-Boy. Also, she was only permitted to transform through Pegasus. The reason for that was because Evil's power was so great during the last time it was used, that that power increase had altered the transformation as well. Without Pegasus II to regulate that power, Aki would transform into a sort of cross between the normal tekka-form and the Blastor mode. And although Aki gained greater power in this, the instability made it so that she could only be in that form for fifteen minutes after which it would backlash against her and begin to kill her, much as what Blade went through with his thirty minute time limit. But in a twist of fate as it were, D-Boy had regained both his memory and his powers. Aki didn't let his return change what she had done. He had taken the burden of the world on his shoulders and if she could, she would make the same decision all over, no matter how much it hurt. She would never let him fight alone again, never take up that pain of seeing him leave and be helpless to do anything.

Never looking back…

Her eyes shone brightly at this and in a shock to Sai, she managed to shove her back, hard. The dark gundam was surprised by this and her surprise was cut short when Aki let out a wild cry and charged at her, smashing her shoulder into Sai's chest. The dark gundam reeled back and hit the dirt as Aki stayed back to recover. As much as she wanted to press the attack, she needed a breather more. But it was then that Sliver decided to make a return appearance.

"Why won't you die!"

An energy beam sliced across Aki's left leg, causing her to grimace within and kneel down halfway. Lancer set, Sliver soared at her for the kill. But again, Aki managed the element of surprise and in a rush; she hopped up and whirled around. She had hoped to hit the dark tekkaman on the head and floor him for good, but Sliver's reflexes caught her blow and they wound up locking blades instead, with a violent clash between them.

"I must say. For an outdated and nameless tekkaman, you are pretty resourceful when it comes to battle." He pushed harder and with a sudden snap upward, he disarmed her and a sweeping blow knocked her down. Moving over to her, he kept the point of the lancer downward toward her. "But like your beloved Blade, you can not hope to win against the Radham. What do you have to say about that?"

Her answer was simple. "Pegasus!"

Sliver blinked and whirled around to see the tekkabot fly in from out of nowhere and almost plow him down. Sliver dodged the charge, but Aki let out one of her wires and latched out to the passing machine, flying along with it as it flew up to a higher altitude. Climbing on to the top, Aki directed the tekkabot back toward Sliver and commanded it to fire. Energy bolts rained down and Sliver scattered away to dodge. As she neared the surface, her wire flew out again and hooked her fallen lancer. However, before it could reach her, a beam of light severed the wire, causing it to fall again. Aki turned to see what had caused it and looked in shock as to what it turned out to be.

Tekkaman Shirken… 

Somehow, the tekkaman had survived Blade's early blast and was trudging his way toward the battlefield. His armor was nearly demolished as parts where missing and others hanging out jagged. Nevertheless, he still had enough power to fire a shot like that and Aki worried he may still have a good deal of power left if he was willing to reenter the fight. Either way, it was now four on two and she was without her lancer.

In short, she was in trouble…

* * *

The fight between the White Fang and the World Nation intensified. Despite the major blow to the Libra, courtesy of the Peacemillion, the Sol-Tekka Dolls continued to attack and the Leo pilots fought back along with them. The Libra itself became the battlefield as the two forces fought alongside its hull.

"Move it!"

Amidst this battle, Tekkaman Altron continued his warpath, cleaving through the Dolls as he charged in search of his true opponent, who was currently blasting away his own set of Dolls with his cannon. Trieze Khusrenada…

"That's him."

Upon seeing his approach, Trieze wasted no time in firing on the gundam tekkaman. Altron dodged the blast and unlocking one of his dragon arm cells, he fired a voltekka blast as the Sol-Tekka. However, by the time the beam got there, Trieze was already gone from the spot.

"Gotta do better." Trieze taunted. "I'm over here."

"Silence, you!" Altron spat as he charged at him. Swinging his dual-trident lancer, he struck the shield arm of the Tallgesse, only to be stopped and pushed back forcefully. _'That shield…'_ Wufei began to note. It had managed to take an attack like that, meaning that it must also be made of gundamium. Trieze was obviously prepared for this fight. What else did he have?

"There was a time when battles could be won and lost with a mere push of a button." Trieze began speaking. "And these Moblie Dolls are absolute root of that detestable and hateful spirit. And their extension is the Libra... there." Looking down at the wrecked battlestation, he continued. "When wars are dehumanized, both victory and defeat become miserable, and God no longer lends a helping hand."

Altron had heard enough and charged back toward him. "Enough with the fancy speeches! Too many people have died for nothing because of you and the battles you fought!"

Altron swung out to strike again, but the Tallgeese Sol-Tekka flew out of the lancer's slicing path and behind the gundam himself. Rushing forward, Trieze kicked Altron in the back, sending him away again. But not as far, for the gundam had managed to control himself enough to halt and turn around.

"If you're going to fight anyone, then fight me and no one else."

Trieze became quiet for a moment before finally acknowledging. "You're absolutely right."

Discarding the cannon, Trieze reached into the back storage compartment and unsheathed a metallic half-blade, which soon extended into a full-length blade. Gundamium as well, Altron reasoned as he whirled his trident lancer around in preparation, his emerald eyes glowing with the same determination.

"Are you prepared for the worse, Trieze?"

"Of course I am." Trieze answered. "But this time I won't go easy on you."

Annoyed at talk of their previous duel, Altron charged forward. "Enough talk!"

Trueze simply smiled as the gundam came at him. The beauty of battle indeed…

* * *

_Srrrrrkkkkkk!_

Entrenched within the raging battle, the three Knights continued to fight against the Dolls, who despite the Libra's damage, continued to fight against them. And the number of them seemed to have no end as they continued to come in upon them. Regardless of this, the Space Knights fought on, with the forces of the World Nation fighting alongside them.

Dying alongside them…

"Guuaaahhh!"

Another Sol-Tekka exploded beside Alpha as Hiver moved in to attack. She was unable to really take note of it at the moment as she was focused on her pass. In fact, she was a bit surprised that she had gotten angry about it. Sad yes, but angry, that was unusual for her. During her training, the Chief had taught them that this was common in war. That life would be lost no matter what was tried and as a Space Knight, it was their duty to fight so that others wouldn't have to suffer. But in turn, that meant that they would have to kill themselves.

_"This is battle… This is war… This is what it means to be a tekkaman… This is what we do…"_

It was out of her character to get angry as she did, but she couldn't help it at the time. A living human being had died right in front of her eyes and she couldn't stop it. That had never happened to her before, so the experience and emotion was new. Against the Radham, she could manage to put those feelings aside, reminding herself that they came to destroy them. But this was different. It was Earth against the colonies. Correction, against the White Fang. The colonies would never support this destruction. In any case, the fight was here now. Yumi put her focus on one thing; surviving. Living past this with her friends. And in order for that to happen, they had to destroy the Sol-Tekka Dolls.

_Every single one of them…_

"Yahhhhhh!!"

Leaping off of Alpha, Hiver dove in on a squadron of Dolls that was currently embroiled in a battle with a Sol-Tekka unit. Reversing her lancer, Hiver stabbed downward on the soulless machine and then lashed her wire out to hook another one. She then pulled away from the destroyed machine and using the momentum, she ripped through the second one. The remaining Dolls began to focus their sights on her and attack, but two more fell as Alpha soared through in pass and Hiver latched on to the starjet.

"Good move, Yumi." Hayato cheered within.

Beneath the armor, Yumi smiled. _'Leave it to Hayato to cheer me up.'_ But the moment was cut short when another squadron on Dolls fired on them, hitting Alpha on the side and causing the engine to burst. Hayato began to veer out of control and along with Hiver, they plummeted down right into the Libra.

"Oh, man! Hang on!"

Gritting his teeth, Hayato tried hard to control the soon-to-be crash landing. The Libra began to come up quickly and Hayto practically began to yank the controls out of its place. Narrowly, he managed to ease the landing, which was still rough as the starjet crashed and tumbled alongside the battlestation's structure, stopping only after it slammed into a laser cannon turret.

"Uhh… Not exactly one of my best landings..." Hayato muttered. "Yumi, are you alright?"

"Yeah." The young tekkaman stood up on the top of the starjet after having hung on for dear life as it crashed down. "What about you?"

Hayato checked with his controls. "Well, systems are a total mess. Engines are out too. In short, I'm stuck here."

As if that wasn't bad enough, the Doll unit that had shot them down was still coming in on them. Seeing the wrecked starjet and the tekkaman on it, this was the prime opportunity to destroy a pivotal target. And as they charged up their cannons, one thing was certain.

They weren't going to pass it up…

* * *

**_Libra _**

Within, Trowa continued on his search to find the control center of the Dolls. However, as found a schematic and began to head toward the area, the bay he began to pass through suddenly loaded up with Dolls. Upon seeing the young man, the Dolls quickly turned and fired upon him, knowing his identity as a gundam. Trowa quickly shot through the zero-g bay and into a wide corridor as the beams streaked around him closely. The Dolls followed him and continued firing, forcing Trowa to back away into a corner. The young man looked over at the Dolls.

"It seems I have defied death a number of times up until now." Looking down at his hand, he called forth his tekka-set crystal. The crystal shone as he began to turn back to the dolls.

"This time will be no different."

The Doll were soon turned to waste as the now transformed Trowa, Gundam Tekkaman Heavyarms, pelted down beams of destruction upon them, destroying them with every volley. Unknown to him though, Duo and the five gundam engineers had gathered in an airlock not far away from where he was. Duo floated ahead of them as they prepared to make their escape, or so it would seem.

"So...what have you got up your sleeves?" Duo questioned, still upset that he found them at all.

Dr. J spoke in answer. "Well, the first thing we want you to do is to take us over to Peacemillion."

"To Peacemillion?" Peacemillion was in worse condition than the Libra. What would they want to go there for?

Prof. G went on to explain. "Zechs will certainly have his way unless we do something to stop him. We want to change Libra's course, but in order to do so, we have to board Peacemillion."

Duo quickly took note of the scientist's first words. "When you say Zechs' plan..." His mind went quickly until finally he realized it. "You mean he's really...?"

The scientists were solemnly silent, indicating what he thought was true. Zechs was planning on the unthinkable.

"That's right." J confirmed. "He's targeting the Earth to the very end." He lowered his head and spoke with determination. "We'll be able to atone for our sins the moment we can put a stop to this maniacal plan."

"All right then." Duo nodded. "Follow me."

* * *

_**Space Ring**_

"Ryaaaahhhhhhhh!"

The scream of Slayer echoed in space as he struck down on Dead End, hurling him into a tower sticking out of the Space Ring. Dead struggled to regain his composure, but Slayer's rushed attack forced him up and away before she struck again and she ending up tearing apart the tower he jumped away from.

"Dead… This is no time to be pussyfooting around!"

Her booster ignited violently as she shot back to connect with him in mid-space. Their lancers clashed hard, as Slayer lunged at him repeatedly, with Dead defending himself and failing. This was far different than when they fought before. She was really intent on beating him to within an inch of his life and then taking that away. As a result, her attacks were more violent, more powerful than before, as she constantly tore at him and causing a good deal of structural damage to the Space Ring in her attacks. And to make it worse, Dead was refusing to fight back against her. A sudden blow sent him plummeting back to the Ring and as he rose up, she finally stopped and stood above him in wait.

"Come on, Dead. I know you're going to lose, but how about putting some effort into it?"

Dead End finally rose to full height, albeit weakly. At this pace, he wouldn't last much longer and they both knew it. He would have to fight her, but he knew that if that happened, he might kill her. And he didn't think he could do that. He was already tormented with the loss of his family and friends on Black September. For his sister, the only one left, to die at his own hands, it would be devastating.

But the opposite it seems, is also true…

"Auroua, please…"

"Man, are you thick." Slayer spat, shaking her head. "How can I make this any more clearer? You are dead!"

Her boosters flared once more and she charged. Reaching Dead, she stabbed forward from the left. Dead sidestepped the stab, but she suddenly jerked her arm to follow him and the lancer slashed his forearm. Turning, Slayer pressed the attack, colliding into him once more and the two of them smashed right into the lower deck of the Space Ring.

"Gaahhhh!"

"Look at you." Slayer stepped back in order to examine her prey, who had slumped down against a metal wall that had left him crushed. "What a mess you are. But don't fret. You are not the first. And when my master arises from the moon, you will not be the last."

"What?"

"You heard me." She pointed out at a nearby window toward the moon. "At this moment, he prepares to rise from the Moon and descend upon the Earth, along with an entire legion of Radham. And when he reaches Earth, everything will be ours. The planet, the colonies, everything." Slayer waved her lance in dramatic display. "The Radham will have finally conquered this system! And there will be nothing to stop us!"

"No…"

Slayer watch with mild interest as Dead struggled to rise up again. Dead was now efforting to hold his body upright.

"I…will…stop…you…"

"You?" she laughed. "Surely you're joking? You won't even get past this battle alive to care about what happens to the Earth and the colonies. It is such a pity though. You could have been a master of the cosmos." Her lancer then leveled at him. "But as it stands, you will only be space dust."

"Kaaahhhhh!"

Slayer was in for quite a surprise when Dead End suddenly ignited his boosters and flew at her. Their lancers crossed and they went sailing right out the window and back into space, with Dead still pushing on her full force.

"Well, there some fire left in you. This won't be as boring as I thought. But…!"

Slayer suddenly broke the lock and smacked her weapon down on the back of Dead, forcing him to break off. Slayer then spun around, ready to sever him in two. But Dead managed to recover enough to block the blow and return one of his own. Slayer was caught right in the face and she wheeled back.

"That's enough!" Despite his retaliation, Dead still hoped that he could talk her out of this fight. But when she turned back to face him, her eyes were gleaming red, a sign that she was not going to be listening to reason anytime soon.

"On the contrary…This is only the beginning!"

**SHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

* * *

_**Libra  
**_

"Have you finished calculating the wave course yet?"

On the bridge, Quinze was informed of Milliardo's continued plan to strike the Earth and worked about to proceed with the plan.

"Yes. We can enter Earth's atmosphere if we continue on our present course." the soldier answered him. "There's a 69 chance that we'll collide on land in the northern hemisphere. The energy that will be released is estimated at around 6,000 megatons."

Nodding to himself, Quinze relayed over the comn. "Did you hear that information, Commander Milliardo?"

"That will be plenty." Tekkaman Epyon replied from outside. "If the Peacemillion and Libra both crashed on that blue planet, seasons would cease to exist and then they'd be plagued with an everlasting winter."

Quinze continued. "However Commander, this calculation is based on the assumption that Peacemillion's drive system remains turned off."

Epyon took a brief glance at the white ship. "Peacemillion used to be a ship of mine. I know it'll understand my intentions."

"Yes, sir."

"Can you say that about the Gundams pilots, Zechs?"

From beside him, Noin posed the question. As she stated, she did not try to stop him and merely wanted to be by his side. At this point, there wasn't anything she could do anymore, except talk to him.

"Of course. No doubt they will everything they can to try and stop me."

So, you're waiting for them huh?"

Epyon turned to look at her. "Those warriors don't act in a way that perceived as inevitable or predestined. That's what makes them professionals in combat, like me...Zechs Marquis..."

It was true. While many soldiers and warriors could accept defeat and simply disappear into obscurity, these five have been a constant presence, always fighting for a cause in which they believe in until death itself comes to stop them. But while Noin knew this, she also became aware of the fact that Epyon had called himself Zechs instead of Milliardo, showing without a doubt that the man she knew was still in there. Deep within the crimson armor was an honorable man, who fought for what he believed in, just like the other gundams.

"Yes..."

* * *

**_Peacemillion  
_**

In a lone hanger area, Relena watched as Heero opened the airlock on his way to leave. Milly was on her way to pick up Relena, so it was time for him to depart into battle once more. But as Heero turned to close the airlock, Relena suddenly moved in place of the door and grabbed hold of his arm

"Wait. Heero. Tell me why it is necessary for you to go too?

Heero paused and only looked up at her briefly. But she didn't let go of his arm and continued speaking to him.

"Libra is going down. There isn't any reason left to keep on fighting. My brother...Milliardo Peacecraft and the White Fang have been defeated."

Heero looked at her once more, but this time, he held the gaze, his expression oddly lightened given the situation.

"I'll make you a bet. Zechs doesn't think that he's lost. Once more, I doubt him or Trieze are ever going to allow this battle to end."

"What?" 

"That's why I've got to go and fight them." he finished, beginning to turn back again.

Despite this explanation, Relena still continued to hold Heero's arm, fearing what he may be trying to do. But even still, she wanted to truly understand why. "Do you really think if you go, that the war is going to come to an end?"

Relena was suddenly surprised when Heero turned back around to her again and held her arms, giving them a loose, but close embrace to each other.

"I'll defeat Zechs, then I'll go get Trieze. Then the war will be over. Afterward, if you make it out of here, there will finally be peace. This is the only thing I can do for you, Relena."

Spellbound by both his action and close proximity, Relena could only whisper in response. "Heero..."

The young man continued. "I promised that I'd protect you. But in order to protect you and the Earth Sphere, I have no choice, but to fight."

"No…"

"Please let me fight." he pleaded.

"I won't." she refused softly. "No way. Heero, you're planning to die, aren't you?"

Unbeknownst to her, Heero had reached up to the side of her helmet and slid on the faceplate. Heero continued to hold her focus on him as he made her a silent promise.

"Believe in me..."

The without warning, Heero gently pushed her backward and out of the airlock. Relena was completely surprised by this and as she floated away, Heero began to close the airlock chamber

"Heero?!"

The door soon closed and Relena, who had touched the wall behind her, moved over to the side. There, a view glass revealed Heero standing still with his faceplate on as the airlock began to open into space. His hand opened slightly, causing the tekkaset crystal to emerge in his grip. Relena had no choice but to watch him go.

_Watch him…and believe…_

"I do...believe in you." she spoke softly once more. "Yes, I do."

As the doors to space opened fully, Heero slowly raised his arm, pointing the crystal toward the open space. The crystal's energy began to show as Heero was glowing softly. Yet, before he departed, he gave Relena once last glance.

"Goodbye...Relena."

"Huh?"

Heero exploded in a flash of light and soon rocketed off into space. His human form began to fade away and disappear altogether, with the mighty armored warrior in its place. Zero Gundam Tekkaman…

"Heero!" was all Relena could shout as he flew away.

* * *

**_Libra _**

Back to the confrontation between Dorothy and Quatre, the two gazed over at each other for a good minute. Dorothy soon gave him a sly smile before tossing her gun away, letting the zero-g take it away. Quatre relaxed a bit, but the familiar sensation he had been sensing was still about. Just as he was coming to pinpoint it, Dorothy grabbed hold of a helmet nearby. As soon as she touched it, the room lit up with various lights and technology. Dorothy continued to hold the helmet as she reached inside it as Quatre made the startling realization.

"I sense…Zero..."

Dorothy's smile grew. "You've got it. We have connected the Mobile Doll control system to the Zero crystal. So now you know. Through here, my desire to fight activates all Dolls in battle."

It made perfect sense to Quatre. Considering how the Dolls moved and how deadly they continued to be, it would be something birthed out of Zero. He knew that better than most. Dorothy's hand continued to rummage inside the helmet and soon she pulled it out; a medium-sized, transparent crystal. Quatre watched as she soon took out something else from her back. A smaller, diamond-shaped crystal. It was as he suspected in the Sank Kingdom. Dorothy Catalona was a primary body. The young woman simply gazed at Quatre as she held the two items together, causing them to glow in reaction.

"What are you doing?"

"Quatre Winner." she started formally, although it was just her usual mock appearance. "I challenge you to a duel. I lost the battle when each of us used the crystal, but I wonder what will happen this time around."

The young man narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? I never used the crystal against you."

"Not completely, but even you must have sensed the residual energy from Zero during our encounter. It was enough for us to be matched on the battlefield."

Quatre blinked as his memory retraced back to that moment. In that battle, he had led the Knights and Gundams through the battle by matching Dorothy's moves every step of the way. And since she was using the Zero crystal to control the Dolls, the only way to match her that way…was if Zero's power was still within him somewhat. But that didn't make any sense. The crystal had long bonded to Heero. How could he have still had the trace power of it?

"But now that energy is no longer present in you." Dorothy continued, breaking into his thoughts. "So you decided you can fight without the Zero crystal, right?"

Quatre returned his attention to the present and answered her. "I wouldn't fight if I could help it. But unless I keep on fighting, you people won't surrender and the war will never end."

"That's absolutely right." Dorothy declared, inching her crystals closer together. "Now let's determine for ourselves which is more advanced. A Zero-enhanced primary body or gundam tekkaman with the bare human consciousness."

Quatre was about to warn her not to do this, but too late as her hands slid together, inserting the smaller crystal within the second one and causing both to glow in a light purple haze. She seemed bent on fighting, but Quatre hoped that this wouldn't be the case. With an inward sigh, he simply asked her.

"And if I refuse?"

A predatory smile emerged on her lips as she gripped hard on the crystal. Quatre knew what was to come, but that still didn't prepare him for it.

"_Tek-Setta!"  
_

Dorothy flashed in a bright glow as the crystal went to work, transforming her body into a new creature, cloaked in dark violet armor and armed with a lancer in the shape of a fencing blade. Her hair continued to spray out from behind like a cape of gold. Quatre wasn't sure he should be horrified or amazed, but Dorothy made the decision for him as she suddenly shot at him, her lancer ready to impale him. Quatre quick ducked off to the side and kicked back, narrowly dodging a back swipe from her. Rearing her blade back, Dorothy charged at him and struck. But her blow met with a clang, for Quatre had transformed as well, into Tekkaman Sandrock.

"How come you're so attached to war?" Sandrock cried out as he held her back with his lancer. "Why must we go through this?"

"You're so kind, aren't you Quatre?" Dorothy retorted. "And what reason do you have to fight?"

"I fight for my family. I have to fight if I'm to ward off my family's sorrow." Sandrock answered.

Dorothy's eyes shimmered. "My father did that. He fought so that I wouldn't feel any sorrow and he died for it. That's why I'm going to die fighting a beautiful battle as well!"

With a straining sound, Dorothy suddenly pushed against Sandrock, propelling herself backward and away from him. Sandrock held his place, still trying to talk her out of this before it went too far.

"Then you actually hate war too, don't you?"

Dorothy said nothing at first, but as soon as she touched to wall behind her, she kicked off of it and slashed out. Sandrock was again forced to dodge, but Dorothy suddenly swung around with a kick, knocking him out of the entrance and into the hallways behind. Sandrock shook his head to recover, but Dorothy was upon him, slashing out with her lancer once again. Sandrock jumped up and backed away through the hall, but Dorothy relentlessly pursued, attacking him all the while and tearing apart the halls with her slashing.

"No! War is not to blame for destruction and massacre. The enemy we must defeat is in our respective hearts! Ha! Ha!"

"I believe in peace because it surpasses war." Sandrock replied, deflecting her strikes. "I believe in the heart that hopes for peace."

Dorothy continued to drive him through the hall and the two ended up flying through an empty hanger bay. Sandrock was being hard-pressed by Dorothy as her attacks became more precise and stronger, drawing closer to breaking his defense.

"Then I'll ask you this. You say that you've fought for everyone. But what has everyone done for you in return?" she spat out, attacking with three quick slashes.

Sandrock deflected the first two and dodged the third. "I'm not fighting to receive any kind of compensation."

Her eyes glared brightly as her arm arched across her body and back. "That's why you're so ignorant!"

The slash was nearly dead on target, Sandrock's neck. Bu the gundam tekkaman had managed to dodge once more and with a heavy push, he rushed into Dorothy and shoved her upward into the upper wall of the bay. A cry of pain emitted from her and Sandrock looked on.

"Please stop this, Dorothy." he pleaded.

But the only response he received was of laughter as the woman tekkaman chuckled.

"The colonies betrayed the gundams. The colony citizens killed your father. And finally, the armed colonies declared independence from Earth before truly understanding what was going on." She lifted her head to him. "All of your battles up until now have been a true waste of time. Your sympathy toward others, too much sympathy toward others, has resulted to this worse case scenario."

Sandrock found that could not reply to that one. Largely because there may have been a sting of truth to it…

And then her boosters ignited…

* * *

_As the destruction continues and the war is fought, those who are to meet will fly forth to their destinies. But as Libra continues to descend toward Earth and a hidden force emerges from the Moon, will outer space and the Earth be sacrificed before this conflict can come to an end? Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Faced with Fate and Destiny_


	63. Faced with Fate and Destiny

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

_AN: I can't stop going overboad..._

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Chap. 63

-

Hiver and Hayato made ready to leave Alpha behind. The damage was too much to try to repair on their own and in the middle of a violent battle, it would just make them sitting ducks. However, they weren't aware that the Doll unit that had shot them down was still targeting them. At least not until later…

When the Dolls themselves exploded…

"What?"

The pair looked up to see a squad of Leo Sol-Tekkas take down the Dolls in quick fashion. Since the Dolls were distracted by the Space Knights, they didn't see the Leos come up from behind and target them. And the armored soldiers didn't waste a shot as they destroyed the soulless machines. Hiver and Hayato saw this and were astonished.

"Are you guys alright?"

The two turned as Vesna and Sommer, accompanied by Beta and Gamma, came up from alongside the side of Libra.

"Yeah." Hiver answered. Looking back to the fighters above, she added. "I think…they just saved us."

"Them?" Sommer replied, following her gaze up to the Leo Sol-Tekkas, not really believing it. Since the beginning of this ordeal, David had always held animosity toward the Earth military. Even as he entered in to fight the Dolls, he was a bit bitter that he was helping them out in the process. But now that they had returned the favor, David was unsure of what to think.

A telepathic surge changed that…

"What…?"

The other Space Knight tekkamen sensed it as well and they all shifted their sights toward the Earth. Or more precisely, the Space Ring.

"It's Dead…" Sommer spoke. His eyes then widened beneath the armor as he detected a second presence. "And Slayer!"

"I don't see them anywhere." Goliate replied from Gamma.

"My sensors aren't picking up anything either." Anita added. "But with all this fighting, I can't tell either way."

"It's faint…distant." Vesna said. "But close enough to sense."

Hiver then finished. "He's fighting her somewhere."

"Yeah, but where?"

* * *

"Everyone on board?"

"Yes, sir."

A couple of shuttles soon departed from the wrecked Peacemillion, the lead one carrying Howard, Sally, Milly, and Relena inside.

"All right." Howard affirmed. "We'll proceed straight for MO-II."

"Heero... Can you read me?" Behind them, Relena was on the communication panel, trying to get in touch with Tekkaman Zero, but to no avail.

"Come in, Heero."

Sally turned a head to her. "We'd only be disturbing him if we contacted him now."

Relena paused in her efforts. "But... Heero's on a suicide mission."

With that in her mind, she tried again to contact him. Far away from them, Zero was slicing his way through the Dolls, battling his way toward the upper levels of the Libra battlestation, all the while ignoring Relena's pleading voice

"Heero, come in. I'm begging you…"

Cutting her out altogether, Heero spoke out in thought

"Forget about me, Relena. Life is something that's cheap. Especially my life."

A squad of Dolls soon came up behind him. Looking back, Zero's body flared and Heero went into crush interlude, his crystal hawk flaring around and back, decimating the Dolls that had been pursuing him in an instant.

* * *

_**Libra**_

One of the gates within the evacuated part of the Libra was suddenly smashed down. From the other end, Tekkaman Heavyarms strafed through the opening and down the hall. He had sensed a telepathic distress from Sandrock and was now in search of his friend.

"I'm coming, Quatre."

But his search was cut shrt when a group of Dolls appeared before him down the hall and began firing on him. Heavyarms forged through the fire, but soon backed off to the side when it became too much to handle at once. But unknown to the Dolls, a shadowy figure descended down behind them and upon turning, they were met with the curved double blades of a scythe lancer. Heavyarms looked over through the now destroyed Dolls to meet with his helper.

_Tekkaman Hellscythe..._

"You made it, Trowa. Sorry pal, but I have to get going."

Heavyarms soon looked behind his friend and saw five others in space suits following behind. The scientists were all attached to Hellscythe there a single wire that Hellscythe held on to with his left hand while wielding the lancer in his right.

"So I'm afraid you're on your own here." he finished, passing by him with the five in tow.

Heavyarms nodded. "That's fine. I'll be okay."

"You sure?"

But no answer came as Hellscythe simply passed on and Heavyarms as well. Yet the two exchange a brief glance back at each other.

_'Don't go getting yourself hurt.'_

_'Take care, Duo.'_

As Heavyarms made his way through Libra in search for Sandrock, Hellscythe reached the hanger exit into space. Before them all, the battle ravaged on, with destruction as far as they could see. Looking back at the five, Hellscythe announced.

"There's no turning back now."

Dr. J. moved up next to him. "Just as long as one of us can make it to Peacemillion, then we will be able to carry out our mission." He became quiet for a moment and tightened his grip on the wire. "So don't mind if someone gets thrown off."

"Gotcha." the gundam replied. "I won't worry. Besides, I've got enough to think about."

Bending his knees slightly, Hellscythe's boosters slowly ignited, ready for what was going to be a very rough and bumpy ride.

"Here we go!"

With that, the black gundam tekkaman launched off and spiraled through space, circling around alongside the Libra and down to the Peacemillion. As he did, he soared through the battle. Leo Sol-Tekkas and Virgos Dolls were all exploding around him and beams of crossfire danced rapidly in his sight. A squad of Virgos soon came in his path, forcing him to grips a tighter hold on his lancer.

_Srrrrkkkkkk!_

_'No one in their right mind would try to fly through this'_ he thought after cutting the Virgos down and continuing on. Looking back, he saw that the scientists were, to his credit, all still holding on to the wire. He could have easily used his crush interlude to plow through the Dolls with ease, but he couldn't use that energy with the five holding on. Within, Duo muttered aloud.

"Now I regret I ever found them. Watch out, y'all! The Great Destroyer and the Lords of Plague are here!"

He soon made his approach to the underside of the Peacemillion and barreled on. But a swarm of Dolls had all targeted him and were now attacking. Hellscythe dodged the fire rapidly, but he was beginning to be swamped.

Until the Dolls themselves blew up…

"Hey! What's this?"

Looking upward, he saw a large team of brown-colored Sol-Tekkas come up from around the back of Libra and engaging the Dolls. They were quite different from the Leos that were fighting, but they weren't Virgos either. He was still in wonder when a voice came to him through the communications

"Just leave these guys up to us."

_'Rasid...' _Then those were the Maganacs troops of Quatre. He was almost surprised in seeing them in Sol-Tekkas, much less doing a great job in fighting through the Dolls. But then again, they were primary bodies. With a nod of thanks, Hellscythe flew on.

"Thanks. I'll do just that."

As Hellscythe flew on, he saw the numerous forces that opposed the White Fang. Maganacs, the World Nation, the Space Knights… It was truly something.

_'We weren't nearly strong enough to have any luck unifying outer space. But Earth is unified. Is that girl behind it? Or was it…?'_

He left the thought incomplete as he continued on his path to the Peacemillion, with the Maganacs fighting behind him, making sure that no Doll survived their onslaught.

"Fellow comrades. No one's permitted to die until we see Master Quatre." Rasid ordered.

A chorus of agreement was the result…

* * *

_**Moon**_

**Kaboooommm!**

Noal was thrown back by a blast from Shrapnel. It seemed that the dark tekkaman was still toying with him, only now it was more seriously. That blast had taken Noal's laser cannon. Not that it was doing him much good anyway, but now Noal was totally defenseless. And Shrapnel was still coming to him.

"Your toy is gone? I guess that means the game is over."

Noal stood up before the approaching tekkaman, his Sol-Tekka damaged and weaponless. His only option now was to reach the Blue Earth. It wouldn't be any better to fight with it, but he would certain have the advantage in flight. Besides, as it stood, he had no weapons or defenses now. Reaching the Blue Earth was his only chance.

_'Well, this isn't going to be easy. But here goes!'_

Firing the boosters, Noal made a mad charge at Shrapnel, who looked at the Sol-Tekka like it had gone out of his mind. But before it could veer close, it suddenly jerked away and flew in an opposite direction, making a B-line straight for the Blue Earth. Seeing this, Shrapnel fired his own boosters and flew up behind him, grabbing the Sol-Tekka in the spinal area and driving his clawed hand in.

"Ahhhh!"

The cry reached Aki's ears as her attention snapped to the source. She was nearly horrified at seeing Shrapnel's clawed hands tear into the Sol-Tekka's back, crushing Noal from the same area. And she was in no shape to assist, as she was barely fending off Sai and Sliver's attacks, with Shirken as support for them. She had only one option and she knew it.

_'Fifteen minutes…It'll have to be enough.'_

Aki soon shot up from Pegasus and high in space above. Looking back down, she ordered the tekkabot.

"Pegasus! Code 5-1-Omega!"

"Command acknowledged. Chamber parameters re-modified."

The back to the machine opened wide and Aki swiftly dove inside, with the interlock doors closing up. The three dark tekkamen were baffled by this behavior, but that changed when Pegasus flashed brightly and the chamber reopened moments later. A loud siren cry emitted forth and Aki reemerged, in her true form.

"Raaahhhhhh!"

Sai stepped back at the sight. "What's this?"

Aki began to glow once more and she shot up into the air, literally flaring with energy as her crystal hawk burst forth and soared at them. Sliver and Shirken both fired projectiles at her, but they deflected off and she continued to approach. They were unable to back away as the energy smashed into them, sending them all in separate directions. Aki continued on her path toward Shrapnel, who was unaware of her approach and still torturing Noal.

"Guuaahhhh!"

"Is that as plea for help? Maybe a little louder."

But Aki's war cry soon reached his ears and he turned to see the same flaring energy coming down upon him. In shock, he released Noal and prepared to defend, but she was too fast for him and he was hurled back. With a growl, Shrapnel recovered his footing and chased after her. That wasn't difficult, since she had stopped in her crush interlude in order to summon up her lancer and turn to attack again. The two met with a titanic clash and Shrapnel was surprised by the power of this woman. Even more so when she forcefully shoved him back onto the ground once again. Shrapnel became enraged and shot up at her, his axe lancer high over his head and bear down fast. Aki brought her lancer up to block, but the force of Shrapnel's strike broke it in half.

"Ha! You're mine!"

With a twirl, the dark gundam swirled his lancer upward at Aki's face. But her speed was far beyond his as well and she swirled around in sidestep, all the while, still hold her lancer halves. With Shrapnel exposed, she didn't waste any time in sending one of those halves straight into Shrapnel's ribcage.

"Guuuaaaahhhhh!"

Shrapnel was so shocked by this that he lost hold of his lancer and it hit the dirt. Aki held the weapon in place for a moment before forcefully tearing it out of him, causing him to yell aloud again and kneel to the ground. Shrapnel grabbed hold of his wound, a fatal one from the looks of it. Nevertheless, his anger brimmed and suddenly, his voltekka cells began to charge.

"No! Not like…!"

But before he could finish speaking or fire, Aki whirled around and stabbed him through the chest with the lancer. Shrapnel didn't even make a sound as he was impaled by the Scarlet Tekkaman. The last thing he saw was the gleaming eyes of the woman before him and it was only then that he realized why she was truly called the Red Devil.

It was how she fought… Like the devil incarnate…

Aki soon released the lancer half and turned, reading herself to take on the remaining three, who had recover from her first attack and had witnessed the death of their comrade. She was panting somewhat, but her strength had not dulled and neither had her focus. She will continue on and finish this.

If only she didn't have seven minutes left…

* * *

_**Libra**_

**Blam!**

The fight between Sandrock and Dorothy continued just outside the Libra as Sandrock was forced into retreat from the aggressive tekkaman. Dorothy emerged from the entrance soon after and went in with a couple of more swipes with her rapier lancer. Sandrock soon began to recognize a pattern in her fighting. It was the same way she was fighting before when thy first met in the Sank Knigdom. If that was the case, then maybe he could force her into a draw like before. It would be difficult, but the alternative would be to fight her full on and possibly hurt her, something he didn't want.

A fact that she sensed almost right away…

"Why are you holding back?" she demanded, halting her attacks for a moment. "Or can't you go for it? Well, you can sure bet that I will!"

Her boosters flared again as she lunged in on Sandrock. The gundam sidestepped the attack, but was unable to do any more as she wheeled around and attacked him some more, driving him back through space and on the Libra.

"That purity!" _Skkkk!_ "That softness!" _Srrkkk!_ "That kindness!" _Crrsshh!_ "No wonder you gundams get defeated!"

Attacking with a horizontal slice, Dorothy forced Sandrock to raise both his lancers to block. No sooner than he did that Dorothy rotated her blade to lock the two lancers and with a hard slash to Sandrock's armored hands, she disarmed him of both weapons, sending them curving though space until they stabbed themselves into a section of the Libra. Sandrock grasped his hand, surprised that the Zero Crystal had amplified her powers so greatly. Or was it simply because…she was right about him.

"Maybe you're right." he replied quietly. "This is the only way I really know how to fight. But it's because we take on losing battles that we've been able to keep the colonists from the horrors of war."

Dorothy held her stance, with her lancer pointed at him. "You'll never change anything that way!"

Beneath his armor, Quatre frowned. "Then what do you suggest I should have done?"

"You should have become the leader of the colonies and staged a magnificent war yourself…" Letting her arms spread briefly, she raised her lancer upward for dramatic effect. "…Just like Mr. Milliardo's doing."

Sandrock lurched forward in protest. "Dorothy! You're mistak…Guah!"

He didn't even see her bring the lancer down and Dorothy rush in to spear him. The lancer went deep into his side, cutting through the gundamium armor and causing blood to leak out into space. As she held him in place, she continued speaking.

"…And you should have staged this war in front of all of mankind. A miserable war that they'll never want to see again."

Despite the pain, Sandrock lifted his head up in realization. "Are you saying…that's the significance of this war?"

"That's right..." Her tone softened. "You can't do away with wars, Quatre, by just taking weapons away from people. You first have to change the hearts of all of mankind. If you don't do that, humanity will…it will perish, just…like my father did."

Sandrock's eyes glimmered in and out, the only outward sign of his senses. The Soul of Outer Space... And this insight helped him to see the one thing he missed. As slight as it may have been, it was clearly an important fact. Especially to him…

"You…are a very kind person…Kinder than me…"

"That doesn't make me the least bit happy." Dorothy snarled, removing the lancer from his side and causing him to groan in pain again. "Kindness just gets in your way when you're trying to survive. It's more appropriate for mankind to put all their efforts into just surviving."

"Dorothy..." Sandrock seemed to be gasping as he held his side, but nevertheless, he struggled to get back up to his feet. "You're just the same way I used to be. You can't stand your own kindness and you own hatred of war… You should never try to fight your kindness… Trowa taught me that…"

Dark memories of his wrath with the Zero Crystal flashed before his eyes as well as the painful lesson it taught, almost at the expense of his friend's life. "Without kindness, mankind has no reason to exist…"

Sandrock could feel himself fading, but he continued, seeing that she had to know this. This woman, who was making the same mistakes he did, she had to realize this. "You agree, don't you? Humans…that only think of their survival are creatures…that are lower…than animals…They can't even feel…for others…"

With a heavy gasp, Sandrock soon slumped down again, this time remaining still. Dorothy looked at the unconscious tekkaman silently, contemplating his words, but wondering whether to regard them or not.

* * *

_**Moon**_

The hatch to the Blue Earth soon shifted close, with Noal trudging into the hanger and ejecting out of his Sol-Tekka. The pilot slumped to the metal floor, still strained and hurt from Shrapnel's torture. But he couldn't afford to rest now. Pulling himself from the floor, he made his way onto the bridge and right in the pilot's seat.

"Alright. Let see what I've missed."

The viewscreen switched on and Noal's eyes widened as he saw the battle between Aki and the remaining tekkamen. As far as he saw, it was an even battle, with it beginning to go to Aki's favor as she relentlessly and savagely attacked the three. It was at the point where Noal almost thought she was Tekkaman Evil.

"Aki…"

At the current moment, Aki was charging straight at Sliver, who had struck her in the back and that did little other than enrage her off.

"Raaaaahhhhhh!"

The two tekkamen met in a fierce clash, with Sliver being shoved backward, but holding his ground regardless as Aki pressed with her lancers. _'Who is this woman?'_ Not even Blade fought with this kind of ferocity against them and that made her all the more fearsome.

Aki meanwhile, continued to press harder on him, driving him to the gray dirt. Suddenly, a weapon flew out from behind Aki straight to her back. Sai's weapon… It was a good shot, but the dark tekkaman underestimated Aki's reflexes as she pulled one of the lancers away from Sliver and deflected the oncoming projectile. Kicking Sliver down, her fiery eyes soon turned Sai, ready to attack.

And then her time limit hit critical….

"Naahh…Not….now….ahhhhhhh!"

Dropping her lancers, Aki grabbed her head in sheer pain. Her head crystal flashed rapidly, as to indicate the pain she was going through and soon she was forced down to one knee. Unfortunately, this wasn't lost on Sliver and Sai, who had recovered from her assault. Aki struggled to raise her head to see the two of them rising up and marching over to her. Sneering with glee, Sai twirled the forked weapons between her fingers as she approached the helpless tekkaman.

"My, how the tables have turned."

* * *

**_Libra_**

The trident lancer of Altron met once more with the shining blade of Tallgeese with a clash of sparks. With each attack, Altron found himself complimenting Trieze's skills. True, the Sol-Tekka was aptly designed with weaponry and power that could match a tekkaman. But the true potential of the machine could only be seen with a capable pilot and Trieze was doing more than holding his own against the gundam tekkaman. In fact, it didn't appear that he was trying very hard in this fight at all.

But, from what Trieze saw, neither was Altron…

"What's wrong?" Trieze spoke after breaking away from their clash. "How come you don't use your voltekka?"

That was the one major advantage Altron had over Trieze. While physically they were evenly matched, a tekkaman would always have the power of their voltekka to utilize, to quickly turn a fight around or finish it altogether. Altron hovered back and replied in kind.

"Because I just want to fight you fair and square, Trieze. That's how come."

The leader of the World Nation narrowed his eyes. "That's not like you. Why the hesitation?"

"Look who's talking. Why didn't you finish me back there?"

Earlier, when Altron had been kicked by Tallgeese in the back, Trieze could have let out a blast that could have harmed Altron somewhat or at least weaken him. With his skill, it would have been enough for Trieze to finish him off afterward. But as Altron pointed out, Trieze didn't do as much.

"Well, I couldn't kill one of the few people that understood me. That's all."

Anger flared in the dragon tekkaman's eyes. "Don't mock me!"

Altron charged once more, soaring upward in a dive and slashing down on Tallgeese, who blocked the blow and causing them to meet in a clash of sparks once again.

"I can't stand the sight of you!"

"Then don't hold back!"

Altron pulled back for a minute and slashed again, this time vertically. Again, it was blocked, but with the closer proximity, it allowed Trieze to partially parry and let out a strike of his own. Alton saw this and backflipped through space, landing a good couple of feet away, his lancer held forward in wait.

"You're only capable of looking down on people like this. You're only fighting to satisfy your ego. How many people have died for you? Well?!"

"Do you really want to know?"

This surprised Altron. He had not really been expecting Trieze to be able to answer. But as it happened, Trieze really did answer.

"As of yesterday... 99,822 people."

The gundam practically roared. "What?!"

Switching to his comm, he contacted Lady Une and asked, setting it so that Altron could hear it too. "Lady... How many have died today?"

"So far, we have received confirmation of the deaths of 82 White Fang soldiers and 105 of our own soldiers." she answered.

Treize lowered his head sadly, shutting his eyes. "I see… Give me their names later on today."

"Yes, sir. I will."

Altron was completely stunned by this. His assumptions about the World Nation commander had been wrong. He was in fact more humane that he ever thought.

"Damn you!"

"I remember everyone who sacrificed their lives in battle." Trieze spoke quietly, his eyes still closed in the pain of memories. "How could I forget them? Noventa... Septem... Bente... Dorian... Walker... Otto... Bunt... Their names are all etched into my heart."

"How could you be such a…?" Altron stuttered, still shocked at what he learned.

"I can only grieve over the lives lost by those who fought." Trieze soon opened his eyes and focused on Altron again. "But…at least try to understand this. Not one of those people have died in vain. Haaaaaa!"

In a show unseen by him, Trieze cried aloud and launched forward at Altron, his boosters at full power as he barreled at Altron with his saber ready to strike. By instinct alone, Altron shifted back and then stabbed forward, deflecting Trieze's attack and stabbing right into the Tallgeese.

"That was beautiful, Wufei... "

"No, Treize!" Altron replied in shock. "How could you?"

Altron quickly pulled the trident out, but the damage had been done. The Tallgeese was showered with sparks and he was sure that the trident had impaled the pilot within. The white Sol-Tekka floated off back into space, its destruction imminent.

"Everyone must pay…for their sins." Trieze gasped calmly, despite the searing pain in him. "Even…my death is not without meaning. Wufei... my eternal friend... I'm honored I could fight with you tekkamen..."

"This can't be true." Altron dropped his trident as he watched on. "No way! I won't let this happen!"

But there was nothing he or anyone else could do to stop it. As the Tallgeese began to go critical and Trieze's life force began to leave him, he whispered his final words.

"Milliardo... I'll be waiting for you on the other side…"

With that, he closed his eyes and the Tallgeese exploded, taking with it the leader of the World Nation. Altron was still for a longer period and then smashed his fist down on the plank of the Libra.

"Damn it!" Through the emerald eyes of the tekkaman, tears leaked out and floated off into space.

"I didn't think I'd win…"

At MO-II, things were worse as the command staff was in shock at the death of their leader. But none as deeply as Lady Une, who was leaning over the console in grief.

"Colonel Une...? Your orders?"

Une slowly straightened herself up and turned to the staff. There was still sadness in her eyes, but it was well masked as she ordered. "You must get in touch with the White Fang. Tell them as of this moment, the World Nation declares its defeat."

"Huh? Colonel?"

"This is humiliating. Don't make me repeat myself!" Une snapped. "Send them the message!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Her expression softened again and she whispered. "Mr. Trieze… You were splendid…"

* * *

_**Moon**_

Aki remained grounded, her head continuously being wracked with pain as her limit continued to pass. Before her, Sai and Sliver moved ever closer, seemingly savoring what was soon to be their kill. Aki tried to rise up, but the pain was too great for her. With the two nearing ever closer, her odds of surviving this dropped.

Leave it to Noal to defy the odds…

_Pssszzzzhhh! Pssszzzzhhh! Pssszzzzhhh!_

The two tekkamen halted in their advance as the Blue Earth swooped in, firing volley after volley of laser fire. Caught by surprise, Sai and Sliver dodged the fire. Seeing this as her only chance, Aki forced herself to her feet and succeeded in part.

"Pegasus! Retrieval now!"

The tekkabot, already close by, began to fly in as ordered to pick up its master. But just then, a slew of energy spikes flared at it from the side and caused it to falter to the side and crash into the moonbed. Aki looked on as she saw the cause of it.

The damaged Shirken…

Aki began to feel the pain overtake her once more. She knew her time was now down to a minute, maybe less. Pegasus lifted off the ground, reverting to its standard machine form as it now marched over to Aki. But Shirken wasn't going to let that just go and he began charging another set of energy spikes from his wrist. And this time, Noal wouldn't be able to help her, as he was occupied in keeping the other two busy.

So there was only one thing to do…

With a loud cry, Aki raised her arms upward and then toward Shirken. The armored plates shifted away and back, revealing a set of voltekka cells. Immediately, energy began to fill it and crackle with great energy. Shirken turned toward her to see the power in action.

"What? No!"

Redirecting his aim, he flailed his arms out, sending the spikes toward Aki instead. But they disintegrated as they closed in on the field that was being created by the energy. Aki focused with all of her might, the tekka-system now beginning to tear her apart from the inside.

_**"VOLTEKKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**_

A faint image of her crystal shone before the energy was released in a titanic wave. Shirken sought to fly away, but he was too damaged to even try. He could only look on as the energy hit him full force, finishing off what Blade had done to him at the start.

**"NAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"**

Aki stood perfectly still as the beam finished its work before another cry of pain escaped her lips. Her armor shone in a deadly red, with veins lighting up all over her body. Collapsing to the ground fully, she was bombarded by the torturous pain of the tekka-system and left writhing on the dirt. But it was then that Pegasus had moved in close and opened the interlock chamber. Doors open, the machine ejected a secondary pair of arms that latched on to Aki and pulled her into the chamber, closing it behind her and beginning the reversal sequence. The tekka-bot then hovered up from the ground and into space. Due to the damage caused by Shirken, it was unable to fly forward. But it would be enough, for the Blue Earth swooped around and picked it up in mid-air.

In the airlock chamber, Noal rushed in to check on his friend to see if she was alright. Despite the combat situation he was in, he left the Blue Earth on autopilot just so he could check. Judging from her screams, she must have been in pretty bad shape. He just hoped that she wasn't too badly hurt. Pegasus chamber soon opened and Aki fell out, unconscious. Noal managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Aki. Aki, wake up!"

But the woman made no move and remained still in his arms. And to make matters worse, his ship rattled hard, telling him that the remaining two tekkamen weren't done with him yet. Taking Aki and setting her in the medical section, he soon rushed back to the bridge and into the pilot's seat where he checked the monitor. The good news was that the tekkamen weren't attacking him. The bad news was that the entire army of Radham were.

"Just can't get a break, can I?"

Noal went to work right away, maneuvering the starship through the hail of fire that was coming at him. He could have easily escaped back to Earth, but that would mean leaving Blade behind to fight alone. And that wasn't going to happen again. Aki wanted to stay and be with Blade and Noal felt the same way.

_'Looks like I'm going to have to rough it out. Huh? What's that?'_

The crevice that the Radham had stormed out began to shimmer and glow. Purple light was flashing back and forth for a while and then the moon began trembling once again, causing the hole in the moon to grow even bigger. The light too grew brighter and Noal was forced to veer away from it

"What the heck is that?"

* * *

_**Libra**_

Dorothy remained as she was, still and looking over at the still-unconscious Sandrock, who was still hovering in the same area leaking blood from the wound she had inflicted on him. She didn't really know what to do now. She had defeated him, proving her point that this war was necessary. But his words had affected her greatly. Largely because they were true, in some areas.

_"You…are a very kind person…Kinder than me…"_

Despite how deeply she tried to bury it, her kindness was what motivated her to do all of this. But she wanted no part of it and sealed it away for her own betterment. But…was it for that reason…or was it simply because it hurt so much for her to show it? No… She had beaten him. She was in the right…

"This is the right way…" She muttered to herself. "This is good…"

"Miss Dorothy, can you read me?"

Dorothy snapped out of her thoughts and answered though the comm. "Yes?"

"The earth delegates have just contacted us and they have announced their defeat."

"What?" She was stunned by this turn of events. That wasn't how it was supposed to turn out. "The earth has declared its surrender?"

Quinze continued. "Also, the combat observation unit has just informed us that Trieze Khusrenada has died in battle."

Dorothy quickly turned from stunned to shocked. That definitely wasn't how it was supposed to turn out. "No! That just can't be!"

"The victory belongs to us. But that doesn't change our plans to ram this ship into the earth. Those are Commander Milliard's orders." Switching over to the PA system, Quinze announced to the rest of the White Fang on the Libra. "We'll start the final boost. Evacuate the ship at your own discretion. Good luck. Keep safe."

Dorothy was completely aghast. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. The White Fang and the World Nation were supposed to destroy each other, showing everyone that this war was an evil that never need to be repeated in history ever again. Even more so, Trieze, her cousin, was not supposed to die in battle. Not like this. Everything had completely fallen apart.

"Things didn't go as planned, did they?"

Snapping out of her revere, Dorothy looked up to see Tekkaman Heavyarms standing on the sidelines near Sandrock. His gaze was on her and his weapon was in hand, but it was lowered, showing that he wasn't going to fight. That wouldn't have mattered anyway; Dorothy was hardly in the mood for it anymore.

"In a way, what you people were trying to do was probably the right thing. But it still won't bring true peace."

The woman tekkaman stammered lightly. "I…I was only…"

"That's so sad..." Heavyarms whispered. "A woman who can't cry..."

* * *

_**Space Ring**_

The explosion of the battle above wasn't the only thing that lit up the space around the Space Ring. The fight between sibling progressed in earnest as Dead and Slayer continued to battle each other. To his credit, Dead was now putting up a greater fight than before, striking back at Slayer with equal force.

But for Dead, who is reluctant to harm his once beloved sister, Aurora, and Slayer, who has no reservations about her former brother Kenji, the turn of the battle has yet to come and Slayer is still on a higher offensive than Dead was.

"Rah!"

A kick from Slayer propelled Dead into a column on the Space Ring, smashing his body into it. Her opponent floored; Slayer dove in with another cry and her lancer raised high. But Dead pushed off the column and around her attack, spinning as a result. While in mid-spin, he flailed out his on lancer in attack, but Slayer wheeled toward him and deflected the blow.

"Is this all there is to you?" Slayer spoke, pushing him back. "Or maybe you're still holding back? If that's the case, then you'll die rather quickly, won't you!"

**Bam!** A blow to the chest sent Dead reeling back and Slayer pursued immediately, following up with another punch, this time to the face. Dead spiraled down, once again to the Space Ring. Slayer hovered in place, waiting for his crash into the structure once again.

But that didn't happen…

Moment before Dead could hit, his body flashed in dark violet and he swooped away, soaring straight at Slayer. Slayer gave a short gasp of surprise before the crystal hawk hit her, with Dead's body and energy colliding into hers, hard.

"Graah!"

Now it was Slayer's turn to be hurtled backward as Dead End relinquished his crystal hawk and simply charged in to strike. Slayer managed to roll into a recovery and lock her lancer with his as they flew on, partially drifting through space. Breaking it off, Slayer attacked, only to have Dead meet her with the same action, crating a heavy clash between the two. Their boosters soon flared and they shot away from each other, only to circle around and strike again, with the same result. The exchange went on several more times before they locked up once again.

"Not bad." Slayer admitted. "I was beginning to worry that this would be a boring fight."

Dead didn't respond and simply shoved her back forcefully. The two tekkamen landed on the Space Ring once again and faced each other in silence. They had been gauging their strength up until now and so far, they learned much. Even though Dead seemed to be holding back, as the fight passed on, he was slowly beginning to release his restraints and attack full force. For Dead, he learned something peculiar. Despite her power, she didn't seem to be using it fully. Perhaps she wanted to stretch the fight out so that she could torment him more..? Why else would she not come at full force?

In either case, from here on, that seemed posed to change as the two began to slowly move into stances, with their lancer readying to strike. But midway through this, Slayer tekka-set crystal glimmered and she stopped in her movement, turning her head away to look up.

"Ah! At last, the time has come."

"What do you mean?"

"He comes." Following her glance, Dead saw that she was looking pass the overhead battle and toward the Moon. "My master is coming now. Soon, the Earth will be ours, and the colonies will soon follow." She began to raise her lancer, but upon looking back at Dead, she stopped and chuckled. "Oh yes, where are my manners? We have to finish this, don't we?" She spun her lancer once and set it back in the position and pose she had been in previously.

"So let's get down to it."

Inwardly, Dead frowned. Now he was battling with a time limit in mind. With her master on an approach to Earth, there was no time left to convince her to give this up. And with the other Knight embroiled in the battle above, he could contact them and tell them this. He just had to hope that they already knew and would be able to stop it. Because if they didn't, then it would be up to him to stop what would be a plague to fall upon the Earth, one that would spread to the colonies and devour everything. His hand tightening on his lancer, he finally made up his mind.

"Aurora, please forgive me."

A blast of his boosters and he charged at her, full force…

And she did the same…

* * *

_**Shuttle approaching MO-II**_

"The earth has declared defeat?"

The crew of the Peacemillion turned to Sally in surprise as she made the statement. Relena, who was seated in the back, rushed up beside her.

"I don't believe it."

"Things are not over yet people." Howard replied, piloting the shuttle. "The White Fang plan to direct Libra and Peacemillion to ram into Earth."

Relena turned to him. "Let's turn around. If we go now, we should still be able to stop them."

"That would be impossible." Howard sighed.

"We can't say for sure until we try." Relena asserted.

"There's only one person that can make the impossible possible…"

Relena exclaimed. "Heero?!"

Sally nodded. "You bet." But then she added. "But there's absolutely no way we can tell him that right now."

"Quickly, let's go to Heero."

"We can't." Howard answered again. "The shuttle used up the propulsion energy for the initial boost."

Frowning slightly, Relena soon turned away from the pilots and began to head to the exit. Seeing this, Sally called out to her, but Relena didn't stop.

"In that case, I'll go alone!"

Helpless and powerless as she may have been, Relena had to do something, anything to stop this disaster from happening. Even if it put herself in jeopardy, she had to at least let Heero know so he could stop it. Her helmet covering slid over her face as she moved to the back. But a group of officers grabbed her before she could leave.

"No! Stop!"

The young woman tried to shake out of their grip, but was unable to do so. "L-let got of me! Heero! Heeeero!!!!"

* * *

_'Aki…!'_

The telepathic scream rang through his mind as Tekkaman Blade continued his descent into the depths of the moon. He knew he had to move fast. He had long sensed Aki's plight and pain and his journey to the deep was with urgency in order to return to her. He knew this would possibly happen to her, but that didn't make him feel any better. Even worse, the tunnels he was soaring through looked quite familiar. In fact, it was designed almost exactly like Omega's mothership. _'Was that what this was?'_

Another mothership…?

This spelled out a whole new series of doom, not only for Blade, but also for the Earth and the Colonies. Should a Radham mothership reach Earth, that would be the end of it all. The Radham would forever be seeded into the world and nothing would stop them from taking over slowly, but completely.

Unless he can stop it...again…

Flying down, he followed the dark presence that awaited him beneath the caves and tunnels. Sensing that he was coming close, Blade readied his lancer, preparing to fight the creature that was responsible for the Radham's new revival. He soon reached a great chamber. Glittering crystal were settled in the walls all around and various, multicolored light circulated to the core like wires. And in the center of it all, a single massive figure, cloaked in a giant violet cape and armored in a similar fashion. His large hand wielded a single curved lancer, which shimmered and glowed along with its owner.

"You've come Blade, as I knew you would."

The white tekkaman could not believe what he was seeing. "Omega?"

"Yes, although not the one you knew before. Your older brother, Kengo, was eliminated and now I have taken his place."

"So you're not…?" Confusion littered into Blade's mind. "Who are you?"

"Nice to see that memory of yours trying to function." the massive tekkaman taunted. "To think that you've survived all this time while it was nothing but fragments." His eyes shimmered. 'But then again, you always did have an impressive, if not annoying, instinct for survival. But then we wouldn't want this to be too easy now, would we Blade."

Within, D-Boy's eyes widened at the warlord's choice of words. He had heard this before. But where?

- - - - -

_"Hmph. Oh, your instinct for survival is impressive, although rather annoying. But then, we wouldn't want this to be too easy now, would we? You can run Blade, but you can not hide!"_

- - - - -

Blade became completely shocked as he looked back at the Omega tekkaman. The armor, though enhanced and enlarged, was relatively the same. And the face, still showing scar-like damage. The damage Blade had caused long ago, when the war first started against the Radham. It was then that he faced his first opponent and a deadly one at that.

"Dagger!"

* * *

Atop the diamond shaped platform of the Libra, Tekkaman Epyon stood alone. The battle still raged on around him, but he made no move and stood perfectly still in his place. His lancer was lightly held in his grip as he waited. Waited for the one last obstacle for him to get past. The tekka-set of the crimson gundam glimmered and his head tilted up slightly.

"He's finally here."

Following his line of sight, a single dot moved through the chaos, growing brighter and more visible as a figure as it closed in. For that figure was possibly the only hope to stop the madness of this war once and for all. But to do so, he would have to stop the one who started this.

_Tekkaman Epyon…_

_Zero Tekkaman Wing…_

The two combatants have now arrived at their greatest battle…

* * *

_The battle has reached its peak as Zero and Epyon face each other in a final battle for Earth and Space. But as peace unexpectendly takes a turn for the coming, an old nemesis of Blade's has come to destroy all that so many have fought and died for. Dead End continues to fight Slayer, but with so much on the line and so little time left, will he be able to bring about the finishing blow to his own sister? Next on Gundam Tekkaman: Apex_


	64. Apex

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

_AN: Sorry for taking so long with this. So much on my mind these days._

-

Chap. 64

-

"These are conditions for the creation of complete peace…"

Standing amid the floating debris of countless Dolls and Sol-Tekkas, Tekkaman Epyon unfurled his armored wings and summoned forth his sword lancer.

"First, all weapons must be eliminated…"

High above him, Tekkaman Zero continued on his rapid approach toward the crimson tekkaman standing atop the Libra.

"And second, the desire to fight must be erased from people's minds."

Without another second of wait, Epyon jumped off the Libra and began to come toward his continuous rival. Not wasting any time, Zero shot his arm forward, opened the voltekka cells within and fired a blast at Epyon. But Epyon easily evaded it and continued coming.

"Libra plunging to Earth...it's the only way to achieve total pacifism!"

Now in close quarters, Epyon let out the first bow, slashing at Zero with a high strike. Zero raised his lancer to block, but the force was enough to knock him downward toward Libra's direction. Zero managed to stop from falling completely.

"The people who have lost the earth will hate you and the colonies will rely on you." Zero began to fly toward him again. "The same mistakes will be made as long as you live!"

But before Zero could get close enough, Epyon's heat rod weapon unfurled and came at him. As Epyon did earlier, Zero spun around, avoiding the attack completely, and continued toward Epyon. Epyon brought his weapon back and made his own charge. The two gundam tekkamen came at each other full speed and with full force, their lancers slamming heavily against each other in a terrific clash. Despite the force, Epyon pressed hard after the clash and struck out again, making a clean blow Zero's shoulder. Zero returned the favor soon afterward, swinging upward to catch Epyon in the arm. Passing that, their lancers connected once more in a brilliant display of energy. As they continued their duel, nearby, Noin watched from her vantage view point, the only one witnessing the battle between them.

_'Zechs considers this place his grave. And it's not because he wishes to die a brave man in battle. He intends to pay for the sin of purging humanity all by himself.'_

Despite her devotion to Zechs (or because of it), she could do nothing more than watch him do what he set out to be his ultimate fate. But there was a glimmer of hope to be found in this; however, it didn't reside with her. Rather, it felt upon the one person who stood in Zechs way.

Heero…

'_I'm sure Heero's figured that out by now' her thoughts finished. 'He should have anyway...'_

As this lonely battle went on with its sole witness, the engines of the Libra flared up to the full, sending both it and the wrecked Peacemillion on a path toward the earth. A path of complete and utter destruction for it…

* * *

**_Radham Mothership_**

_Spprrooott!_

No sooner did Blade echo his name did the ground suddenly erupt with metallic tentacles and entangle around him in grip. Blade had to struggle just not to be totally crushed to death.

"Gruah!"

"I've waited so long a time for this."

"But…how…?"

"…Did I survive? Not easily, thanks to you." Memories of his final battle with Blade flowed through his mind, causing him to tighten the grip on his lancer in rage. "After my defeat at your hands, Omega abandoned me completely and left me to die."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_**KABOOOOMMMMM!**_

"_An explosion?"_

"_Hey look. There's a body."_

"_This man's still alive. Quick. We have to get him to a hospital!"_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It would be years before I managed to recover, with the Earth fools unaware of my true form. But by that time, you had grown more powerful than ever. Powerful enough to even defeat Omega. I knew that despite my hatred, I would not be able to fight you, given my weakened condition. So I waited. Waited for a time when I would be able to exact my revenge. Then I found the remnants of Omega's ship, so of which like me, were only barely alive. It would take it many more years to re-grow the ship, during which I watched and waited, as you created your own set of halfwit tekkamen."

Blade continued to struggle, but Dagger Omega ignored him and stretched his hands out to the ship, continuing his story.

"As the ship grew, so did my powers. The infused tekka-system allowed me to make to complete evolution into an Omega class tekkaman. But more was needed. Then that's when the notice of gundamium was heard. Through use of my minions, I acquired a great deal of this material and managed to fuse it with the ship's superstructure and me along with it, as you can see."

Dagger now decided to focus on Blade, indicating the tentacle coils that was holding him in place. Blade managed to glance at it to realize what he meant. Unlike when he faced Omega, the coils were much stronger and he found that escape was fading away as they tightened once more.

"Nahhhh!"

"The gundamium has made me more powerful than Omega ever was. And now, as new master of the Radham, I will succeed with Omega had failed!" His arms raised dramatically and his cape billowed backward for further effect. "I will conquer the Earth!"

"N-Never!"

Blade renewed his efforts to escape the tentacles, but it wasn't working out. The gundamium coils weren't giving any slack and they managed to hold the white tekkaman.

"Struggle all you want. It's futile." Dagger repeated. "His crimson eyes shimmered. "At last, I will have my revenge." He turned around and a bubble appeared before him, revealing the outside and showing the ship moving toward the Earth.

"Now, stay put and watch, as I have. Watch…and suffer."

* * *

**_MO-II_**

"How's the troop evacuation coming along?"

On the bridge of the resource satellite, Une continued organizing efforts to bring back their forces. After declaring their surrender, they pulled back what was left of their forces to the satellite.

"80 of our soldiers have returned safely, but there's substantial damage to our mobile suit force. " the officer answered. He then went on further to say. "It appears that 67 of them have been destroyed."

"Then destroy our remaining mobile suits as soon as they are retrieved."

The officer turned to her in surprise. "What?"

"It's important that we rid ourselves of all weapons left on Earth." Une answered, her arm remaining folded. "Those are his Excellency's orders."

"Hmm… I understand now."

Blinking, Lady Une turned around to see Howard, Milly, Relena, Miyuki and Sally, who had spoken, standing at the entryway.

"So Trieze Khushrenada objective was total pacifism as well, huh?" Sally finished.

"Hey, who are you?" the aide officer spat, rising from his seat. However, Une raised a silencing hand to him and then addressed the girl in between them.

"I welcome you, your Majesty."

At this, some of the other soldiers in the room took notice of the situation and too saw the young girl who was formerly the Queen of the World. Whispers went in among them as they all recognized her. But Relena was hardly happy to be recognized in that way and quietly replied to Une.

"Please... I really wish you wouldn't refer to me that way any longer."

* * *

**_Space _**

"The Earth surrendered?" Hiver exclaimed, riding along with Sommer on Beta.

"Didn't see that one coming." Goliate agreed. "That's for sure."

"I doubt its over yet though." Vesna added, landing on Gamma after an attack.

Sommer looked on at the battlefield and the retreating Leos. "For now, we better back off as well."

"Back off?" Hayato exclaimed. "Are you saying we should quit?"

"No. But if the World Nation surrendered, then anything more we do right would only aggravate things." Looks followed the direction of the Sol Tekkas. "Let's move to MO-II for now. If they turn, we'll be ready."

The team soon realized Sommer's reasoning. Because of the drastic change, events would now follow a different direction, one that they had to be ready for when it came. So for now, they had to wait for it, no matter how odd it came or seemed.

"Roger that."

* * *

**_Space Ring _**

The fight between Slayer and Dead continued. The two dark tekkamen kept the battle confined to the Space Ring so there was no notice of them, despite how close they were beginning to move toward MO-II in the near distance. But that didn't really matter to them. This fight was about them alone anyway.

"Syyyaahhhhhh!"

Slayer lunged in with a punishing blow to Dead's face, nearly sending him into the Space Ring again. But, with a burst of his boosters, Dead sharply reversed direction and struck back, his lancer tearing across Slayer's arm and shoulder. Slayer let out a roar of pain and anger and returned the 'compliment' with a slash of her own, ripping across his chest. The two soon landed back on the Space Ring, gasping and touching the inflicted wounds, which were many.

"This is so much better. But you're still holding back, Dead!"

Slayer lunged again, with greater ferocity than before. Dead met the charge with one of his own and the lancers clashed in a spark of energy. Yet, they continued to hold the lock, despite how much their bodies were hurting right now. Especially Dead, who was still trying to find a way to pull through to his sister beneath. But as the battle went on, it became quite clear that she only wanted to kill him, nothing more. And he began to sink deep into his own bloodlust, his attempt to just survive turning into a drive to fight.

He felt this before. When he targeted the Space Knights, he tried to discard his sadness and despair and it turned into an obsessive need to destroy. And the end result was he became an empty shell, wanting to die, but needing to fight and kill so to not feel the pain. He wasn't there yet of course, but it was only a matter of time before he succumbed and gave into all his pain and put it in the fight, making him the soulless dark tekkaman of the past.

"Rah! Rrrrraaaaahhhhh!"

Pulling his lancer back, Dead lashed his leg upward in a solid kick, causing Slayer's face to snap upward and the rest of her to fly away. Dead could feel a grin come up upon his face as for once, she slammed into the Space Ring structure. But she wasn't done yet. No sooner had she hit the structure did she then soar toward the Earth briefly and then shoot right at him, rushing her shoulder into him and holding him until he smashed against the Space Ring, after which she hopped back.

"Come on. Is that all you can take?"

Dead soon arose from the smashed structure, damaged heavily, but showing no signs that he would stop. Slayer seemed to marvel at this. He was taking all of her best punches and still getting up. She smiled at this; this was a fight to enjoy. But it couldn't last. She had to end this nonsense now and return to her master where they could complete their conquest of the Earth and Space.

Besides, he was still holding back…

"Is this how it is going to be Dead? You can't fool me with your halfhearted fighting. If you won't fight to save your life, then why don't you just stand still and die?"

"Live in the present…" he whispered. "Fight…for the future…"

Slayer was uncertain by these words, nor did she care anymore. If he was going to be a fool and die, then so be it. She didn't want her time wasted on this.

"Have it your way then!"

Her speed was so fast, Dead almost didn't catch it. Almost… At the last possible second, Dead had sidestepped her stabbing blow and slammed his lancer into her back, propelling her out into space. Slayer nearly roared in anger and stopped herself from flying further. She was going to make him suffer for this! But upon turning around, she was greeted with a very shocking sight. Dead's lancer had doubled…Dark lightning was cracking around him…The cells of the voltekka had formed…He was going to…

"_**VOLTEKKAAAAAAAAAA!"**_

The beam of black energy swarmed right at her, threatening to engulf her. But Slayer's speed saved her once again as she now sidestepped his attack. Her crystal hawk flared brightly and she charged back, while he was still open. This time, she would get him. By the time he was able to stop discharging energy, her lancer would have decapitated him and end this squabble. And as she soared in for the kill, one thing was certain.

It ended here…

* * *

**_Peacemillion _**

After a long and difficult trip through the hordes of Virgo Sol-Tekka Dolls and explosions, Hellscythe manages to make it to an entrance of the Peacemillion's hanger that led to the power supply room. Slashing open the door, he then pulled in the five engineers, who miraculous had all managed to remain on the cord.

"Alright. We made it."

"Thanks for your help, Duo." Prof. G replied, entering into the Peacemillion along with the others.

The dark gundam nodded. "Now it's up to you." He turned his head slightly. "I'll do my thing with the guys outside."

"Hey. Don't get to rowdy." G warned. "We need to concentrate."

Hellscythe wheeled around just as a unit of Dolls came at him and began attacking him. He shook his head somewhat and grinned within.

"Tell that to the enemy, will ya?"

His armored wings spread, Hellscythe swooped back into the fray of battle.

* * *

_**MO-II **_

Back on the bridge, Lady Une pulls out her gun and slowly holds it to Relena. Relena looked at it questioningly and then back up at the OZ leader.

"I am like a body that has lost its soul. Now is your chance. Take revenge for your father's life."

Closing her eyes, Une waited for Relena's response. In truth, this was what she deserved for all the pain she had caused Relena. If there was anything she learned from this war, it was that some actions must come with a price. For murdering Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian, she must now leave her fate to his daughter. Relena looked at her for a moment and, after walking up to her, places her hands on the gun and Une's hand and pushes it down. Une opened her eyes, quite surprised by this.

"Let's put an end to all of this." Relena spoke. "The revenge and the war."

Une didn't quite know what to say to such mercy and forgiveness, save for one word. "Yes…"

The moment past, Howard moved over to the seated aide. "Now...what can we do about Libra and Peacmillion."

"We have already estimated the location of impact and issued evacuation warning.

Howard looked at the panel for a moment and then turned with an incredulous look through his shades at the aide. "Evacuation? You're not serious? If those two battleships hit ground, the entire world will be affected."

Moving his hand forward, Howard punched in on the keys, bringing up the schematics on both the Libra and Peacemillion and displaying their power generators

"If those battleships enter Earth's atmosphere and explode on ground, the initial explosion might be limited to a radius of few hundred kilometers. But the enormous amount of dust spreading across the sky will block solar rays, resulting in a dramatic decrease in temperatures around the world."

"That's terrible." Relena exclaimed.

Milly added further. "And people won't be able to live on the Earth any longer."

"The only way to avoid this is to change their orbit or blow them up in space." Howard explained. He then lowered his head sadly. "Both are next to impossible."

"No. There's still hope."

The group turned to Lady Une as she said this and the colonel indicated to the screen showing the moving wreckage of the Libra/Peacemillion.

"There's a gundam tekkaman close to Peacemillion's main power supply."

"Is it Heero?" Relena questioned.

Lady Une shook her head. "No. I think it's 02."

"Duo. Then they're likely with him." Howard reasoned. That would be the only reason why he would leave Libra and come back to the Peacemillion. Realizing this, he affirmed. "Well then, we still have hope."

"But where are the other tekkamen?" Sally asked with concern. "The gundams and the Space Knights?"

"There's too many Mobile Dolls moving about to make sure." the aide answered. But then he added. "However, we have confirmed that the Space Knight tekkamen are in close proximity to this base."

* * *

**_Lunar Orbit _**

The Radham mothership continued on its slow, yet steady course toward the Earth. However, the reason it moved this way was not because it was a slow vessel, but because its master wanted to bide his time for the unleashing. Within, Dagger Omega watched events unfold, seeing the retreat of the World Nation to MO-II. It was perfect. The Dolls were every bit as powerful as he had wanted. And thanks to Sliver's tekka-virus, which was implanted when they were first created on the Lunar Base, they would now follow his commands.

"And now the time has come." He raised his lancer high. "Awaken my Dolls! Bring forth the destruction you were created for."

"Rhhaaahhhhh!"

Blade finally managed to escape from the gundamium coils and tear them apart, freeing himself. Dagger turned to the cry of the tekkaman and saw him free. But it meant little, if nothing to him.

"Ah, stubborn to the end. But it's too late. The tekka-virus has already taken over." He indicated to the bubble screen. "All of the Dolls are now under my command."

The emerald eyes of Blade glowed as he whirled his lancer. "Then I guess I'll have to take you out to stop them."

"You never did know when to quit. Very well, then." Dagger turned around fully to face his most hated opponent. Now that Blade was free, he would have to beat him to within an inch of his life and then show him what would be the end result. The complete Radham takeover of this system…

"Come, Tekkaman Blade. Let the true suffering begin!"

* * *

**_Libra _**

As events continued to unfold around, Dorothy remained in place, her head lowered as the will to fight had almost fully drained out of her. Sandrock's words had struck her at the core, and the current events, especially the death of her cousin, Trieze, had taken the fight out of her and left her in a state of loss. Heavyarms simply stood by, looking up at the chaos.

"I've continually fought, and with each battle, I've lost something. And my heart has been complete void of feeling for some time now. Maybe my life doesn't have value anymore. But I have to keep on living."

For the first time in a long while, Dorothy spoke. "Why is that?"

His gaze remained skyward, but if anyone realized, Heavyarms was looking in the direction of his now home colony, L3.

"I've got a home to go back to."

This did little to help Dorothy. "Well, unlike you, I don't have any place left to go back to."

His head lowering, Heavyarms moved over to Sandrock, who had regained consciousness. His breathing was still ragged, but his wound was no longer bleeding out in space. "Can you stand, Quatre?"

"Listen to me Trowa." the tekkaman said shortly. "You've got to do me a favor. Look after her and forget about me."

Dorothy was surprised by this. Here was the man she had just run through with a lancer, all the while declaring him to be weak and soft. And now he wanted his friend to watch her on the off chance she might think about ending her live here? What was sad was, she understood this. He was a kind person. As she was…

"Don't worry about it." Heavyarms reassured, helping his friend to his feet. "I'm sure she's strong enough to take care of herself."

Sandrock took another ragged breath and then nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I guess you're right."

Holding Sandrock upright, Heavyarms turned around, preparing to fly off into space. But before he did, he turned back to Dorothy.

"You had better get going."

Sandrock glance over at her as well and simply spoke, uttering the same concern as earlier. "Don't die…please…"

Dorothy didn't move, but the sound of tears could be heard in her voice. It could have been dismissed as their imagination, but tiny bubbles of tear flowed out into space and floated before her. The two were ready to turn again when Dorothy suddenly gasped. Her eyes flashed and she raised her head upward.

"Dorothy?"

"Something's wrong…" she stammered out. "My connection…I can't control them." Her eyes flickered as she sought to regain control. "Something else…another mind."

Heavyarms looked up as the Dolls flew away from the Libra. "So, the Radham are making their move."

Elsewhere, Hellscythe, who was currently fighting the Dolls, was puzzled when he saw them suddenly turn tail and fly away from him.

"What the…? They're leaving?"

He watched them depart, but saw that they were not going toward the Libra. Rather they were gathering around to far end of it and stopping.

"No. They're regrouping."

* * *

**_Space_**

"Space Knights. Come in. Respond…"

The transmission came out of static, but Anita managed to catch it as well as the speaker. "Commander Noal?"

"Finally." The man sighed aloud. He then warned. "You've got a serious problem heading your way."

"What do you mean?" Hayato asked. Like everyone else, he had seen the retreat of the Sol-Tekka Dolls, so the danger should have passed. But it was then that Goliate broke in with additional information.

"Hey guys. I'm picking up something on radar. Something big."

Both Anita and Hayayo checked the radar screen. "The Blue Earth?" Hayato suggested uncertainly.

Anita shook her head. "No. This is way bigger."

Noal overheard the communications and informed. "It's a Radham mothership. It was buried beneath the Moon surface."

Before there could be further talk or even surprise and shock at the news, the attention of the Space Knights was diverted to the Dolls, all of whom had finished gathering at their point and were now swarming in to attack. If that didn't make things worse, a crown of Radham monsters also joined alongside them, forming a strange, but lethal combined force of alien and machine. The Dolls lead off with energy fire and the Knights was forced to spread out and enter in a new battle.

"Here we go again!"

* * *

**_MO-II_**

"Lt. Noin! Lt. Noin! This is MO-II. Please respond!"

As the aide tried to get in contact with Noin, Sally moved beside Une, who had requested for them to find her.

"How come you're trying to reach Lt. Noin?"

"You'll know soon enough." Une answered, turning to her. "The real question is whether the times have changed more than even I expected."

"Colonel! We've got her!"

The channel screen opened, revealing the woman in question. She had her hand raised in salute, but her face gave nothing away. Une wasn't too surprised by this. Noin didn't have any reason to like her any more than Relena did. Despite this, Noin remained civil.

**"**It's good to see you're well, Colonel."

"Noin, are you monitoring the battle between Zechs and Heero?" Une asked her.

"Yes."

"Relay those images to our line right away."

Noin was silent for a moment and then responded. "I'm not with OZ any longer. I won't take your orders."

"This isn't an order." Une replied, her voice softening. "It's a favor, as a fellow believer of peace."

Sally was surprised by this act, but Noin simply looked on. It was clear to the two that Noin didn't trust Une before she said those words. When she said them, though, Une was able to see her eyes to determine if she was trying to trick her . But Lady Une was sincere in her request; her eyes told Noin this.

"Very well, then."

Noin's face disappeared from the screen, replaced with the titanic struggle between Zero and Epyon. Relena saw this with concern, her brother in battle with the most important man in her life.

"Heero…"

"Send this image at once to Earth and Space." Une ordered quickly.

"Yes..."

The transmission went out immediately, flashing before people's eyes as they lit up the televised screens of the colonies. Not a single screen showed anything aside for the battle between the tekkamen. As the fight went on, the colony citizens watched in awe and horror as the fight raged. Many didn't even know that the war was still going on, but they watched nevertheless.

-"The battle you are witnessing has no significance to either Earth or the colonies."- Lady Une voice came over the speakers. -"But it is necessary just the same, because in reality, it's a fight to save the colonies. This year, in AC 195, the history of battle is finally about to come to an end. Unless these two continue to fight, peace will never be achieved. Can you feel it? Can you feel the misery of this combat? And can you see the peace that awaits us? This battle is making each one of us look for a solution to secure peace."-

The broadcast also being watched by the colony delegates, who saw the scene to the two battling tekkamen with the same shock as everyone else. And in addition, they recognized the colonel's voice.

"Representative Une...?"

"So she's alive..."

Une took a pause from speaking, and it was then that one of the aide shot out.

"Colonel Une! We have an emergency! Sol Tekka Dolls have resumed their attack!"

Une blinked in surprise. "What?"

The screen lit up, revealing the re-approaching Sol-Tekka Dolls. What were they doing? The World Nation surrendered. Why were they still attacking?

The aide went on further to speak. "There are also reports that there are Radham attacking alongside them."

"The Radham are making their move." Milly spoke. "Somehow, they're in control of the Dolls now."

"So now we've got two problems." Sally replied. "Libra and the Radham."

"Hold on. I'm also detecting tekkaman signals within the battle."

"The gundams?" Relena questioned.

Howard looked over at the console panel. "No… The Space Knights. They've moved away from MO-II and engaging the Radham forces."

Punching it up on screen, Howard showed them the fighting force of Tekkamen Hiver, Vesna, and Sommer, all fighting against the massive force of Radham and Doll. Une looked at the scene and whispered to herself

'_Master Trieze… It is as you have said. We must rely on them now.'_

But she wasn't the only one to regard this battle with more that wonder. From behind everyone, Miyuki watched silently as the trio of tekkamen moved in against the horde, fighting with everything they had and more. Yet even they may not be able to hold back such a force completely for long. Looking down and her hand, her pink crystal materialized into view. She gripped it delicately at first and then, after taking another glance at the battle, she tightened the hold. And as silently as she watched the scene, she turned around and retreated back out the main entrance.

* * *

**_Peacemillion propulsion room_**

"The regular booster alone won't be enough to change its course."

"We've got to take out the pressure limit controller and the power cylinder."

The voices of the scientists echoed through the abandoned Peacemillion as they set about their work of redirecting Libra and Peacemillion away from the Earth. At the main console, Dr. J and Professor G were busy chatting to each other as they finished up.

"We're stopping this disturbance by causing another disturbance." J joked humorlessly. "Seems to be our specialty, doesn't it."

The engineers had finally finished their work when a voice yelled out a warning from the darkness. Turning toward it, they found Quinze on the platform, holding a gun on them.

"Freeze! Don't move a muscle!"

J calmly began to move toward Quinze. "Quinze... Long time no see..."

But Quinze made good on his threat and shot the wizened scientist in the arm, causing him to back away and grasp it in pain.

"I told you not to move."

"Go ahead and kill us." J strained out. "We're all done here."

Quinze frowned at the group. "You people have caused me nothing but headaches. How many times do you have to interfere with Operation Meteor? If it weren't for you people changing the orders of gundam tekkamen, mankind would have come to its senses a lot sooner than this."

"Probably. But we rate Earth and mankind a lot higher than you ever did."

"Enough." Quinze raised his gun arm, targeting them once again. But G simply glared down at the man and replied.

"We're going to interfere just one more time."

Reaching back to the control panel, he flicked a switch…A gunshot rang out…and an explosion followed…

* * *

**_Libra _**

On the outside, the Peacemillion's engines start up flared to life, bring the two hulking bodies to a slow descent and then stopping them altogether. But this event changed nothing on the part of Tekkamen Epyon and Zero, who continued to strike at each other with increasing force. Noin continued to watch amid the debris, standing outside the fight as they tore at each other furiously, becoming nothing more than flashes of light against the black of space.

"You're the same as Trieze, claiming to fight for justice to protect the weak." Zero dove in with a lunge and followed by a forceful strike, sending Epyon backward. "But in fact, you're not helping to protect the weak at all!"

"It's the stronger who create the weaker!"

Epyon charged back and met with Zero's clash. He then followed up with a double swing of his lancer, now driving Zero back. "It was the strong Earth that made the weak colonies and almost drove them to destruction!"

In a fury, Epyon pressed with a third and fourth strike. Zero was forced to back away, settling on the deck of the Libra. The platform beneath his feet trembled, causing him to loose his footing a bit. Just enough for the crimson gundam to soar in close and knock Zero's lancer away and level his own at the tekkaman's head.

"Now victory is mine!"

Zero stared down the sharp blade. "I can't stand the weak. They're always worried about when they'll be next attack. They can't trust anyone and they never have an opinion of their own. I can't stand such people!"

"Strong people make them that way!" Epyon retorted, bringing his lancer back for the finishing blow. But it was then that the full impact of the engineers' work came in and the shift back into space caused an explosion on the section they were on. It was strong enough that Noin was caught in it as well and tossed away

"Oh no!"

Seeing Epyon faltering back from the explosion, Zero made his move, ducking down to retrieve his lancer and now holding it at Epyon's head. Epyon hissed in shock at the sudden reversal.

"Zechs…No one is strong… All of mankind is weak. And that includes us as well."

* * *

**_MO-II _**

"The Peacemillion and Libra are heading away from the earth."

Cheering erupted from some of the soldiers there, but that until another aide came with from bd news.

"Colonel Une! Some of the Dolls have turned around are attacking the Peacemillion's engines."

"What?!"

True to word, the screen showed the latter portion of th Sol-Tekka Dolls retreat from their advance and fire at the Peacemillion's booster rockets. The soulless machines managed to destroy the boosters one by one, with some actually crashing into it to damage it further.

"Looks like Zechs has some help." Sally murmured.

"Of the worse kind." Howard added. Soon, all of the Peacemillion's booster were destroyed and the two structures floated in the dead of space for a moment and then begin to slowly, but surely drift back to Earth.

"Without the engines online, the Libra and Peacemillion will drift back toward Earth again."

Just then, another aide announced to them. "The colony delegation making an official statement."

Switching it to speaker, everyone heard the voice of the lead representative as he spoke on the same open broadcast Lady Une had used in hers.

-"In accordance with the declaration of defeat given by the World Nation, we the colony delegation have an announcement from all colonies. We wish to pursue the withdrawal of the White Fang's demands, and hereby announce our desire to coexist with the World Nation. We further declare our rejection of any combat, regardless of the reason and strongly hope that the World Nation will follow suit."-

It was hard to believe it, but it was happening. Amid the chaos and conflict, peace was finally and truly coming together. And not just for the Earth alone, but for the colonies as well. Earth and Space coexisting. Just as Relena had wanted. Just as Trieze had wanted. Just as everyone had really wanted.

The statement went on. -"We would also like to apologize for the suffering endured by many people as a result of our unclear stand."-

Zero and Epyon too heard the broadcast. For Zero, for Heero, it was the fulfillment of all that he had fought for. For Epyon, for Zechs, it was simply the end of it.

"You're finished, Zechs." Zero declared.

Epyon sneered lightly and then retorted. "Not yet."

Whipping away from Zero's lancer, he lashed out with his heat rod at Zero. Zero jumped away and the weapon tore out a hole in the Libra.

"I still have yet to acknowledge that I'm one of the weak people of the world."

With that, Epyon dived into the hole, with Zero following in pursuit. Peace may be coming, but their fight would continue on within the Libra…

* * *

**_MO-II _**

"Looks like we're out of options."

"There's got to be something we can do." Relena said exasperatedly.

"But what?" Sally replied. "Libra is falling back to Earth. On top of that, the gundams are nowhere to be found."

Miily strode up the to aide's side. "Contact the Space Knights. Tell them that they have to stop the Libra."

"But how?" Une spoke. "Reactor Voltekka isn't strong enough to stop both Libra and Peacemillion."

"No. But that's not the only weapon they have." Turning to the aide. "Get me a channel to them."

"But what about my brother and Heero?" Relena asked. Surly now that peace was coming about, they should have stopped fighting, right?

But Lady Une revealed otherwise. "They're not going to quit until it's all over."

"No! Stop it you two!" Relena cried out. "Noooooooo!"

* * *

_Peace is finally on its way. But can it make it through that battles and chaos that continue on in these final moments? Gundams, Space Knights, Radham, Earth, Space, all must succumb to their fates and destinies as the curtain begins to come to a close on this act. Next on Gundam Tekkaman – The Final Victor_


	65. The Final Victor

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

-

Chap. 65

-

"Kyyyaaahhh!"

Another Doll was sliced in half as the Space Knights continued their fight against the Radham/Doll horde. Despite being severely outnumbered, they held their ground and managed to kep the invading force at bay. However, for every one they took out, twenty more seemed to take its place.

"There are so many." Hiver thought out loud as she destroyed another Doll. "Can we really take them all?"

One of the Radham came up behind her and rushed forward to strike. Hiver turned around as it closed in, only to find the monster already ripped in half. Emerging from behind was Tekkaman Vesna, her lancer blade fresh with the blood of the creature.

"We can't give up yet, Yumi."

Hiver nodded and returned her attention to the battle where in the distance; Sommer had hacked away another Doll and landed on Beta ship. The other two moved to join him when Anita called to them.

"Hey guys. I'm getting a message from MO-II."

Patching them through they soon heard Milly's voice coming in. "Space Knights, come in."

"Miss Milly?"

The elder Knight delivered her message. "Space Knights, the Peacemillion and Libra are starting to fall back to Earth. It has to be stopped." Her expression became grave. "This is a command authorization from Chief Aki to be delivered in case the need. Execute formation Trinity."

At this, the three knights gasped in response. "Are you serious?" Sommer spoke. "We've never even had the time to practice it."

"There's no choice." Milly explained. "If Libra and Peacemillion hit ground, the Earth will be destroyed."

That was a shock to them. They knew the damage a crash would cause would be great, but they never knew it would be to that extent. Milly sighed and spoke once more in a lower tone.

"I know that it is dangerous, but you guys may be our last chance here."

"...Roger that."

As Milly cut off the communications channel, Sally moved up beside her. "Formation Trinity?"

Milly didn't turn from the viewscreen, but she answered. "The greatest weapon of the Space Knight tekkamen. The three unique voltekkas they possess are designed to be capable of combining into an even greater energy weapon." She then lowered her head. "However, it requires precise aiming and focus because once it's unleashed, the tekkamen will have used up most of their energy and be unable to fight afterward."

"A one shot move..." said Lady Une.

"Yes. Aki briefed me on it as they received the weaponry." She finally turned her head to the two. "Because of the energy drain and the power it has, it was designed to be used in only the worse case situations."

Relena came up around the other side of the woman. "Is it really that powerful?"

Milly turned back to the viewscreen, keeping her gaze on the moving tekkamen. "I should hope so. At this point, it's the only option we have."

The team of three soared through the chaos of space, looking for the best target and place for their attack. They soon found a clear area to station themselves and stopped short.

"The target is the center rear of the Peacemillion." Vesna ordered, pointing to the massive starship. "That should reduce that thing to bits before it reaches the Earth."

Hiver turned to her. "What about the gundams? They might still be on the Libra."

Sommer turned to the two starjets. Can you guys try to contact the gundams? Tell them to evacuate the Libra immediately. They have one minute. That's all the time we can spare."

"Roger that. Be careful guys."

The starjet flew off on their mission as well as to give the three tekkamen room for their attack. They began to assemble in separate positions, giving the others the minute needed to contact the gundams. However, they were unable to start, for two shadows soon descended on them.

"We meet again, Space Knights."

_Tekkaman Sliver and Tekkaman Sai... Servants of the Radham..._

* * *

**_Radham Mothership_**

"Rrraahhhh!"

Blade charged at the massive frame of Dagger Omega, lancer aimed forward and ready to strike. But as soon as he came close, the giant tekkaman disappeared from sight and reappeared right behind him.

"Not like before, is it Blade?!"

Blade whirled around, and charged again. He wasn't surprised by Dagger's warp-like speed. It was the same as the first Omega. But he wasn't. He was much stronger than before. Not that this would be an easy fight, but it wouldn't be as brutal and painful as before.

This might be worse...

_Swkkkkk!_

Once again, metallic tendrils whipped out of the ground and walls, stabbing at Blade and tearing his off shards of his white armor. Blade worked to dodge the tendrils as fast as he could, but they were all over the place. There was only one course of action to take.

_Change the terrain..._

Dodging a set of tendrils, Blade's shoulders quickly opened and its cells charged. Aiming them upward toward Dagger, Blade unleashed the full force of his voltekka on the tekkaman warlord. As before, Dagger shifted out of the way, but Blade's true target was the ceiling. His blast blew a hole straight through the ship, thus proving Blade's theory. Although the tendrils and parts of the ship were made from gundamium, the ship as a whole was not and therefore vulnerable.

Blade soared up and out onto the deck of the mothership and whirled around. Soon Dagger emerged from the vessel as well, with the Earth in the backdrop and closing fast.

"Perfect, Blade." The warlord boomed as he gazed down at the Earth. "I couldn't have planned this better. The conquest of Earth, the destruction of all possible resistance, and..." He turned to Blade and glared. "My revenge against you." In a grand gesture, he raised his lancer. "And now you come out to witness your home be destroyed. Just perfect."

"It's not over yet, Dagger." Blade retorted, readying his lancer to attack. "Not as long as I am here."

"On the contrary..." Suddenly, multiple tendrils shot out of the ship and quickly encircled Blade. Blade was unable to escape as the cords grabbed hold of him again, causing him to drop his lancer. Blade struggled to escape, but there were more cords holding him this time and they hand his hands and legs tied and stretched out. Dagger made a slight motion, causing the tendrils to shift and direct Blade toward the Earth. Blade continued to struggle, but the gundamium was holding him tight, preventing release this time.

"Gnnnhh!"

"**It is over!**" Dagger shouted. "For you, your Space Knights, the gundams, Earth, the colonies, everything!" Dagger lifted his lancer and twirled it sideways. In a flash, barbs of energy arrows formed along it, all pointed at Blade.

"Oh don't worry. I won't kill you, yet. I want you to see this. To know that everything you have ever cared about and loved be destroyed before your very eyes. and you will be powerless to stop any of it. Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"

_Shrrrrrrkkkkk! Shrrrrrrkkkkk! Shrrrrrrkkkkk! Shrrrrrrkkkkk! Shrrrrrrkkkkk!_

* * *

**_Libra _**

Within the Libra, the clash between the two powerful tekkaman tore apart the innards of the battlestation, smashing through the halls and walls in their fight. Both warriors were unrelenting in their attacks and unyielding to the attacks of their opponents, no matter how much it hurt. Their fight soon led to a Virgo docking bay where they lunged at each other and then circled around afterward.

"The colonies have started moving towards total pacifism all on their own." Zero shot out as he backed away. "What you're doing is meaningless!"

But the crimson tekkaman had no intention of stopping. "My destiny is smeared with blood and I won't be talked out of this transgression." His lancer leveled up. "I'm going to settle this here!"

With a blast of his boosters, Epyon charged forward full force, his armored wings spreading with in attack. Zero did likewise, opening his own wings as his boosters flared, sending him toward Epyon head on. Loud battle cries filled the air as the two came at each other, readying for what would be the final strike of this battle.

_**"Raaahhhhhhhhh!"**_

The strike came so fast that it wasn't even seen. And as they touched down to the ground, it appeared that nothing had happened. But soon Epyon's lancer clattered to the ground, with the tekkaman himself on one knee and holding his chest, where a long mark razed across his chest.

"Why...didn't you...kill me?"

Despite the damage, Epyon realized that Zero's attack had been held back. With the speed and force that was used by Zero, even for someone like Epyon, he should have been torn apart. Zero kept his back to Epyon, but he straightened up and answered calmly.

"Relena would be sad."

* * *

**_Space Ring_**

The crystal hawk of Slayer swooped in fast on Dead after she had dodged his voltekka blast. As she came, her lancer was set and ready to finish her former brother, aiming to take off his head. Dead saw her near, but was unable to stop her approach.

"It ends here, Dead End!"

Dead gave no reply as she slashed out at him. Slayer let out a cry of victory as she struck, but that was soon replaced with a gargle of pain. She had been so into striking him that she hadn't seen him redirect his lancer upward. And since she was charging at him, she had rushed right into weapon, causing it to impale herself on it.

"Naaahhh!"

But Dead wasn't completely out of the woods as he had to rush out of the way of her attack still. Her blade struck, hitting the collar of his neck, but no more. The momentum of the crush interlude propelled the two into the Space Ring once more, wheeling and spinning as they did until they crashed, hard.

"Guuah!"

Dead rose up from the crash, hurt and damaged from his fall. Checking the slash he had received, he found that even though it was deep, it wasn't too serious. Staggering, he moved over toward the fallen Slayer, who had crashed nearby. Dead's lancer was still impaled within her as she lay on the deck. Dead moved over to her and pulled out the lancer, causing her to gargle painfully. Looking up, she saw Dead towering over her, his lancer held just over her. She was at his mercy and they both knew it.

"So...you actually pulled it...off...eh?"

Dead said nothing and simply stared at her prone form. He could now end this. Since this all began, she had been trying nothing short of destroying him. Now she was down and out and he could finish her off for a change.

Except...he couldn't...

"What are you...doing?" Slayer croaked out. "Finish it."

However, Dead didn't move a muscle, aside from a light trembling of his lancer. He was hesitating

_-'Guuuaahhh!'-_

Dead's head lifted up and away. It was a telepathic surge of another tekkaman...someone in pain...Blade... Dead realized the direction he was looking and saw the great Radham mothership looming just some distance away from the Libra. Blade was in great pain. Since the Space Knights were embroiled in the battle with the Libra, there was no one to help him. The same could be said for the gundams. And he couldn't sense Aki's mental signature, so it's unknown what happened to her. That only left him to do something. Dead turned and began to walk away, but stopped when Slayer screeched at him.

"Where are you going? Finish me!"

Dead turned his head to her, but said nothing. As it stood, he was still uncertain as to what to do about her. But he did know that Blade needed help right now. This was all he could do. Whether it is the right decision or not, he didn't know. But it was the only one he could think of.

And so he flew toward the mothership, with the screams of the wounded tekkaman behind him...

* * *

**_Space_**

The three knights were confronted by the dark gundam tekkamen. This presented a major problem for them. Sliver was dangerous enough, but Sai was a new one to them. If Slayer was any indication, they were sure to bet that this new female tekkaman was serious trouble. And they couldn't use their Trinity formation as long as they were there. To top it all off, they were sensing Blade's distress from the incoming Radham mothership.

"What's the holdup?" Sai beckoned, twirled her jagged weapons in readiness. "Shall we start this or not?"

The Knights lifted their lancers as well, but this would only play into the Radham's hands and allow the Libra and Peacemillion to crash into the Earth. They had to get out of this...somehow.

"Let's begin."

The two quickly charged at the Space Knights, but they suddenly veered away as a new form dove in from above. Backing away, they were now faced with the glaring emerald eyes of Tekkaman Hellscythe.

"Sorry we're late. Traffic was a mess."

Altron soon flew in as well, his trident lancer whirling behind him. The Space Knights were both surprised and glad to see their comrades join with them.

"Duo! Wufei!" Hiver cheered.

Hellscythe raised his scythe lancer. "Leave these guys to us."

"What about the others?" Vesna questioned

"Take a look."

Hellscythe indicated up to the raging Radham and Dolls, now being assaulted by the combined force of Heavyarms and Sandrock, who were also accompanied by the Magnagac. Yet even as they fought, some of the Radham broke through their offensive and headed for MO-II.

Only to be destroyed by a pink flash of light...

The Radham halted as they were faced by a new presence that hovered before the space station; that of Tekkaman Rapier. Her sword lancer shone before her as she confronted the invaders.

"Long ago, I said that this was my battle. So come on!"

As Sandrock and Heavyarms fought the Radham and Rapier defended the resource satellite, Hellscythe and Altron remained in between Sliver and Sai.

"Don't you three have work to do?" Altron half-growled.

"But...what about D-Boy?" Hiver said with worry.

In answer, a flash of purple light flew past them from behind, heading straight toward the advancing mothership. Tekkaman Dead...

"Leave it to me."

As Dead continued on, Sai and Sliver turned to stop him. However Hellscythe and Altron charged, meeting with Sai and Sliver in a head-on clash. Enraged, the Radham tekkamen fought back against them, leaving the Space Knights to themselves.

"Dead..."

"You heard him. Leave it to him."

This, surprisingly, came from Vesna. The female tekkaman looked at her comrades and continued. "We have to do our part now."

"Right." Sommer then looked at the two. "You guys ready for this?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." they nodded.

Nodding back, Sommer hovered forward, Vesna to the left and Hiver to the right. This made for a triangle formation at which the armored warriors began powering up their weaponry. While it is true that in terms of power, human/Radham tekkamen excel over the Space Knight created type. This is evidenced both by the powers of Blade and Dead End. Also, the gundams seemed to be an advanced form of that, giving then enhanced defensive abilities and augmented voltekkas.

However, the Space Knight tekkamen possess a power of their own as well. Though they seem weaker in comparison, the truth is that this only leaves room for them to be upgraded, obtaining unique abilities that can make them capable of dealing with a greater assortment of threats, as demonstrated by Hiver's Reactor Voltekka. But now, an even greater power was about to be unleashed.

"Now!"

Vesna went first, spreading her arms out wide. Her eyes shone brightly as the voltekka cells on her shoulders and body began to glow.

_"Pulse...!"_

Bubbles of energy floated out of the cells and formed around all three of them. The bubbles pulsed and grew to a medium size, but they remained in place. Now it was for the second sequence

_"Cannon...!"_

Aiming his lancer toward the Libra, Sommer's voltekka cells flared to life and formed a dual beam of energy on both sides like a rail gun. Energy crackled in between the energy beams, with one of Vesna's energy bubbles in front of him. With the two now set, the time had come for the weapon of activation. Hiver crossed her arms and readied her weapon.

"David, get ready!" Hiver shouted as she charged her voltekka. This was the part that they all had to be ready for. If they lapsed in concentration at this moment, they would wind up destroying themselves. Not only that, Libra and Peacemillion would destroy the entire Earth.

Failure was not an option...!

_"Reactor...!"_

The swirl of energy shot out and upward, soaring right toward one of the energy bubbles of Vesna's Pulse voltekka. Vesna braced herself, knowing the stress that would come from impact. The Reactor hit the bubble in a flash, but it didn't explode. Rather, it formed into a crystal form and then spread to the two below them. With both of them in concentration, the now two beams hit the bubbles below, resulting in the same effect and then connecting to form a triangle around them. With now three crystals posed, they all shot at the bubble in the front, which was also connected to Sommer's Cannon voltekka.

_'Here it comes...'_

The three beams hit the central bubble, combining with Sommer's beams and creating a bright light that reflected throughout the entire sequence until they were all surrounded by a prism of crystalline energy. Within, Sommer struggled with the immense energy that was before him, forcing himself to keep the aim straight. Behind him, Hiver and Vesna, both still focusing on the power they were creating. Suddenly, at the same time, all of their eyes shone brightly, signaling the moment that had come.

_**"VOLTEKKA TRINITY!"**_

The prism soon exploded, unleashing a beam of pure light so massive that it easily resembled the beam cannon of the Libra itself. The energy soared through space, disintegrating any and all the Radham and Dolls that were in its path without letup. The beam finally collided with the Peacemillion and began to bore its way in…

* * *

**_Libra _**

Within the Libra, Zero sensed the immense energy of the combined voltekka beam beginning to tear through the Peacemillion and the Libra. The tekkaman turned only slightly to regard this. The energy would not only rip the battlestations in half, but it would also be enough to set off the power generators within, causing a chain reaction that would destroy them and save the Earth.

In any case, the mission was complete.

He had stopped Zechs and Libra was soon to be destroyed. However, he was too deep in the Libra to escape safely now. Turning, he saw the light of the voltekka blast beginning to come in down from the corridor.

_'Farewell... Relena.'_

To his surprise, Epyon rose up to face him. The scar still gleamed deeply on his chest, but he had enough strength to pull himself up. Seeing the energy coming in, he spoke to the white tekkaman behind him.

"There's only one more thing required to attain total peace... As strong heart that can empathize with people." Epyon turned to him. "Like yours. You're too pure and too kind. But I guess that give you the right to live."

Zero stared at him silently, taking in his words, as the light behind them soon became a twister of explosions and flames. Epyon then roared aloud.

"Just watch me! I'm going to live right to the bitter end!"

Without warning, Epyon suddenly lunged at Zero and grabbed hold of him. Zero was surprised by this and Epyon lifted him off the ground.

"Zechs!?"

"I'll live the hard life of a warrior!"

With a burst of his boosters, Epyon shoved Zero straight into the wall. Only...it wasn't the wall. Zero was thrown through an adjourning corridor, the zero gravity propelling him through. As Zero soared back, Epyon remained where he was, with the light growing brighter behind him as he continued.

"Zechs, no!"

'Till we meet again, Heero." was the last thing he said before being engulfed by the flaming explosion.

* * *

**_Radham Mothership_**

It didn't take long for Dead to reach the Radham mothership, largely due to the fact that it was advancing on Earth anyway. Soaring along the underbelly of the alien ship, Dead unsheathed his lancer and struck, ripping a hole in the ship. Flying inside, he soon began to sense a high-energy source. Even more so because he was heading toward it.

The core...

Dead stopped short, standing in front of a pulsating bubble of glowing energy. Veins connected to the ball and circulated around the chamber. Dead's lancer tilted upward, intent obvious. With Blade in battle above, striking the core would provide the distraction needed as well as stop the mothership from reaching the Earth. Dead brought his lancer back ready to strike when...

"Not so fast, Dead!"

Dead stopped short and dove off to the side as Slayer shot up from behind with a flying lunge. Getting back up to his feet, Dead faced his sister, amazed that she was still able to get up, much less follow him here and attack. But that must have been the last of it, for as she turned around, her wound was still fresh and open on her side, with blood still dripping out and her body trembling a bit. Dead noticed this and lowered his weapon.

"There's no reason for us to fight anymore."

"Hehehe… And here I was mocking you for being halfhearted." A cough escaped her before continuing. "Indecisive between trying to save the Earth and hoping to save me."

"Auroua… "

"Don't get your hopes up." she chuckled painfully. "I am Tekkaman Slayer, bound to kill you right to the point that I would pay the price of my life to rid the cosmos of your existence. And yet…" She paused for a moment, seemingly in thought. "...There is another part of me…the part that as your sister…would pay an equal price so as to protect you."

Dead was silent at this proclamation. In a way, she was exactly like him. Enraged at present, yet grief-stricken by the past, with no sight of the future in her mind. Lost in the flow of time... And despite this, she was still trying to hold on to the one thing that mattered through it all.

Him...

"And so…" Her eyes lifted up and began to glow bright. "...for me to be truly satisfied…" Her body then began to flash as well, illuminating the ground below them.

"I will fulfill both desires!"

"Aurora!" Dead shouted with concern. "What are you doing?"

The body of the dark tekkaman continued to flash, glowing more brightly as she stood there. "My life is what I would give for both you destruction and your salvation. So here it is. My life!"

She opened her arms wide and she crackled, her body illuminating the room almost as much as the core. Dead had to cover his eyes from the sight and backed away from her. Slayer continued laughing as her entire armored form shone in brilliant light.

"Kenji... Dead End... It's up to you now to determine who smiles in the afterlife. Hahahaha…Hahahahahahahaha!"

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Above, Dagger Omega sensed the shock from his servant too late. The ship rumbled beneath him and then began to emit shards of light.

"What...! NO!"

The answer came in a massive explosion from the belly of the ship, which poured up and out everywhere. The alien vessel soon began to erupt from everywhere and soon parts of it blew off. The tendrils that were holding Blade loosened and the tekkaman tore them off of him and flew upward. Dagger too, soared up into space and growled as he beheld his now damaged ship. All because of his most powerful subordinate. He knew she was the more unstable of his minions, but he never would have guessed that she would do this.

"Slayer? What have you done?!"

His rage was soon directed toward the now released Blade. Lifting his lancer once more, he assembled his energy arrows once more and fired them upon Blade. Blade was torn apart by the hail of energy and drifted backward. Rage had not left the tekka-warlord however, seeing the damage his ship was in. It was moderate at best, but it would delay his conquest, during which it would be possible for a sizable resistance to form. A resistance in which Blade, should he still be alive, would lead.

Change of plan...

Looking over at the now reviving Blade, Dagger called forth another energy arrow, larger and more concentrated than the previous ones. Energy sparked out of it as he aimed it at the recovering tekkaman. He didn't want it to be this way. He wanted Blade to live long enough to see Earth fall under his complete control. But as it stands, letting him live any longer would be foolhardy.

"Goodbye, Blade. Give my regards to the oblivion!"

The arrow fired out like a beam and soared right at Blade. But before it could meet him, a dark bolt of energy shot out and intercepted it, colliding and exploding in a bright flash of light. Shock overcame Dagger as he turned to the source.

_Tekkaman Dead..._

The dark tekkaman was injured and damaged from the Slayer self-destruction, but he had managed to escape alive. He wasn't even sure how he survived, nor did he think he would even make it. But here he was, alive and now in confrontation with Dagger Omega. But his attack was his last. The damage he suffered was extensive and his last reserve of energy was just used on the voltekka that stopped the energy arrow. And now an enraged tekka-warlord was facing him.

"You insect!" His lancer turned toward Dead and another energy arrow was summoned. Dead was vulnerable now and even if he was at full strength, he doubted he would be able to fight such a force. But he wouldn't have too, for a loud cry came out from the collision explosion, causing both tekkamen to turn toward it.

_**"Power of Space to One!"**_

The explosion soon blew away, revealing the still damaged Tekkaman Blade. But now he was aflare in a green light. His armor seemed to dissolve in it, but then it turned out that a newer armor formed into place. Dead was stunned as he watched a new tekkaman took the place of what was once Tekkaman Blade.

_Blastor Tekkaman Blade..._

Dead wasn't the only one surprised. Dagger too was shocked to see Blade's transformation as well. He wasn't aware of a advanced level of tekkaman aside from his Omega metamorphosis. _'Was this how Omega was defeated? By this? No.'_ There's nothing stronger than a tekka-warlord. Nothing! Dagger summoned another arrow of energy, but by that time, Blade was soaring at him in full crystal hawk form.

"Die!"

The arrow hit dead on, but it had no effect as Blade kept on coming, smashing into Dagger and causing him to flail backward. Blade suddenly veered directions and smashed into Dagger again and again. Dead was in complete shocked by this. Blade never displayed this power when they fought. Was this transformation new? Or had he been holding back that time they fought, even when he was defeated the first two times?

At the battle, Dagger revived, astonished and shocked not only by this newer power, but by the fact that it was overwhelming him. All his work seemed to be disappearing before his eyes. His survival, his planning, his great army and force, his newer power...all of it was being scattered to the winds.

_'No! I will not be denied my revenge!'_

When he was Omega's servant, Omega once spoke to him and discovered that his greatest motivation was revenge. And this proved true as Dagger charged and slashed out with his lancer with a roar. The swing connected with Blade, but was blocked by his lancer. Dagger began to force his lancer on him.

"I will not be defeated by you!"

Blade seemed to struggle to hold Dagger back and for a moment, he seemed to be weakening. But suddenly, Blade pushed back and with a sharp downward thrust with his recovered lancer, he shattered Dagger's own weapon.

"What?!"

Dagger reeled back from Blade's attack. His anger and rage was soon dwarfed by hesitation and...fear? This was just the same as before, at their last confrontation. Even when Dagger had the advantage, had managed to shatter Blade's crystal, and made him helpless, he had failed to finish him off, and it resulted in his unforeseen defeat.

- - - - - - - - - - -

_"No way. You're a tekkaman again. But how? Your crystal was shattered."_

_"Amazing what they can do with shattered crystals nowadays, isn't it?"_

_"Very well then. Tekkaman against tekkaman. A battle to the finish!"_

_"Got that right."_

_"What are you doing?"_

_"You know what time it is, Dagger?"_

_"What?!"_

_"It's time to say goodbye...Voltekka!"_

_"I'll get you for this Blade! Guuuuaahhhhhhhh!"_

- - - - - - - - - - -

History it seemed, was now about to repeat itself. Blade relinquished his lancer and crossed his arms. This caused the voltekka cells in both his arms and his shoulders to click open and charge. Energy crackled around Blade in a maelstrom of power so great that even Dead feared getting caught in it and forced himself to move away. Dagger backed away as well, although unconsciously. Blade's eyes flashed bright as they were trained on his first and now last tekkaman enemy.

"This time Dagger, stay gone! **_VOLTEKKA!_**"

The energy surrounding Blade formed into the same shape and form as his crystal and in another flash of light, a translucent beam of sapphire energy blasted out. It soared straight at Dagger and hit him dead on, causing him also to collide with his damaged vessel. This resulted in both Dagger and the mothership exploding in a massive shockwave of power and force.

**"KKKRRRRAAAAAABBBBBBOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!"**

* * *

**_Space_**

The beam of the Trinity Voltekka finished blasting through the Peacemillion and Libra, literally shredding it in two. And as Heero predicted, the energy beam set off the power generators within both battlestations, setting them off and causing them to explode as well. The end result was a great light that was followed by devastating explosion. Chunks of debris flew everywhere, wiping out everything nearby. On the bridge of the Libra, everyone bore witness to the destruction through shielded eyes.

"We did it." an aide cheered. "Libra and Peacemillion have been completely destroyed!"

However, this may have been a premature statement, for as the light cleared away, the radar displayed another development.

"Wait a minute. A section of Libra has broken away." On the screen, one of the diamond-shaped sections of the destroyed station moved away from the explosion and continued on its course down.

"It's still descending toward the Earth!"

"Is the power generator still intact?" Sally asked.

Checking the scanner, Howard nodded in dismay. "I'm afraid so. That block alone can cause a never-ending winter on Earth."

"Is there anyway to stop it?"

As if in answer, another soldier announced. "Wait. I'm picking up something."

As the fragment of the Libra soared through the atmosphere of the Earth, a flaring object trailed beside it and soon raced ahead. A crystal hawk...

"It's Tekkaman Zero!"

"Heero?" Relena whispered.

"He's not gonna make it." Howard grimaced as Zero began to descend into the atmosphere, his armor burning within the heat.

But Sally countered. "No, he'll make it. I think he'll be okay."

"But he's got to make it through the atmosphere's high temperatures." one of the aides said.

Une simply answered. "From what I've seen, the gundams can overcome any difficulties."

Relena nodded in agreement. "That's true. I know we can believe in him." Her memory briefly recalled their last conversation.

-

_"Believe in me…"_

-

"Because Heero is the kind of person that gives everyone hope." she finished.

As the spectators watched, Zero continued to soar ahead of the falling section of Libra. His armor, already damaged from his fight with Tekkaman Epyon as well as the destruction of the Peacemillion/Libra, was now tearing off in the fiery heat. Regardless of this though, Zero pressed on, wheeling around to face the falling chunk. Extending his arms forward, he began to call forth his voltekka. But the tremendous speed, heat and turbulence were throwing his aim off. On top of that, he was suffering from the pain of all the accumulated damage he had in addition to this.

"Ghhhhh!"

His vision wavered and blurred, making targeting the wreckage all the more harder. Pain coursed all over his body and Zero realized that he was way beyond the limit he could normally take.

"I..."

The Libra dove in closer and Zero began to get a better bead on it. However, to fire at this range may mean death for him, for he was unsure if he could survive the explosion. And that was assuming he could even hit it correctly. It had to be direct and centered. Any deviation from that and the full force of his beam wouldn't work. If he could even hit it full force...

"I will..."

He was losing it. The fire around him had every nerve in his body on fire. His armor tore away more, with one of his armored wings burning off completely. Zero was still trying to gain a lock on the Libra fragment, pushing, if nothing else, his will and determination.

"I will...!"

Death was coming close to Zero in all direction. But he couldn't give up. It was not an option. He had to do this. The Earth was counting on him. The colonies were counting on him. Relena was counting on him...

_**"I will survive!"**_

With everything he had, he focused in and unleashed the power of his voltekka. The beams soared up toward the Libra fragment and hit dead on, striking it and them plowing through it. The force and the heat was enough to cause the fragment to burn up completely and explode, engulfing Zero in it as well.

Above in space, the other gundams watched as well as the Space Knights, Tekkaman Rapier and the Magnagac. In MO-II, cheers erupted from the personnel at the destruction of the Libra, aisde from the main group, who continued to look on. But none more so than Relena.

_'Heero...'_

The light of the explosion continued before them, but then soon another light formed within, rising out of the light like a phoenix. The crystal hawk of a tekkaman...

Hiver pointed to the flare. "He made it!"

Zero had indeed survived, flying out of the light and rising high over the Earth. His armor was reduced to make him almost unrecognizable. But he made it. If anything, he could thank the gundamium armor for taking it all. But in truth, it was all him. His will and determination had allowed him to survive and succeed.

"You did it, Heero!" Hellscythe cheered.

"Yeah." Altron agreed. "Naturally."

"He's quite the person." Heavyarms acknowledged.

Sandrock's gaze on Zero was more in realization. "I get it now. The Space Heart...is him..."

"Mission...complete."

As the crystalline form of Zero soared away into the stars, he passed two figures in space. Tekkaman Blade and Tekkaman Dead drifted in space, both bruised and battered but okay nevertheless. Blade was motionless, his armor back to normal and thus quite damaged. But while Blade watched the lone tekkaman fly away, Dead's focus was on what was left of the mothership.

"Auroua..."

Blade remained motionless, but his head tilted at the dark tekkaman's whisper.

"I know..."

Dead lowered his head, wondering if he should be angry at the comment. How could anyone know what he felt like now? If it had been anyone else, he might have snapped. But Blade...D-Boy...was a different matter. He...really knew...firsthand too.

"Do you...?"

"Yes."

Dead turned away from the debris and partly toward the white tekkaman. "How did you deal with it?"

Blade gave no answer at first, but then turned to look up and across in space. Following his gaze, Dead saw to incoming Blue Earth, flying in to retrieve the two. It was then that Blade answered him.

"I had help."

"Hm." Despite the pain he was feeling, Dead allowed himself to smile at the answer. It seemed to make all the sense in the world. And as the remains of the Libra, Peacemillion and the Radham mothership burned up in the Earth atmosphere and the Blue Earth moved in closer, Dead had only a single reply.

"Of course."

* * *

_AN: One more chapter left…_


	66. Epilouge

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

-

**_Epilogue_**

-

_After Colony 195... On this day, the earth and the colonies established communications, thus forming the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. The Radham had disappeared as well and peace has been allowed to develop soon afterward. It has now been three months since the end of the now named Eve Wars..._

* * *

-

_**Luxembourg**_

-

It was a beautiful, sunny day, yet this fact was missed considering the place. A cemetery... But not just any cemetery. The final resting-place for those who had fallen in battle and recently, those who fought in the final battle of the Eve War. One grave became the focus of a young woman's attention. The grave of Trieze Khsurenada, who had died in order to bring this peace about. As the woman continued to gaze, another came up from behind her, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"So you're here again, Dorothy."

Dorothy turned her head to the speaker; Noin. Her eyes were partially blocked by the sun hat she wore, but Noin saw no evidence of tears. Not this time or the other times they had met. Trowa was right. She was a strong woman.

"That's right. But this is the last time." Dorothy answered. "I'm so tired of living in the past."

"I see..."

With that, Noin simply stepped past Dorothy and bent down to place the flowers before the headstone. Dorothy watched her do this and then veered her eyes over to the next grave. The one made for Milliardo Peacecraft.

"Why is it that you never pay your respects to Mr. Milliardo's grave, Ms Noin?" she questioned.

"Because I don't need to."

Dorothy gasped a bit as Noin rose up and looked into the sky with a smile on her face.

"I know that he's still alive out there."

* * *

-

_**Space Knight Command Center**_

-

"Chief! You're up!"

Goliate turned from his terminal after Anita's remark to see the Chief enter into the command room. The woman slowly walked out of the doorway and nodded to the two..

"Yes. Sorry to have worried you all for so long."

"Hey, should you be up and about?"

From the rear of the chamber, Noal rose up from a station with his arms folded and a half-stern look on his face. Aki gave a short smile, knowing that the elder man was only worried about her, as everyone had been.

"I've been in bed long enough." Aki replied simply. Honda raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more. Aki then turned back and addressed the others. "Where is everyone else?"

"Well, Yumi and Hayato are in the hanger bay." Anita answered first. "They were complaining about how boring it's been lately."

"And David and Natasha are out." Goliate added. "Dead, well..." His tone lowered. "No one's really sure where he goes."

Noal stepped in to change the subject. "Oh, and Milly's got an assignment, from what she's told me. Something about the new government working on organizing a special taskforce group."

"And our status...?"

"No sign of the Radham since...well, the battle." Anita shrugged. "In short, it's been pretty quiet, Chief." Sighing, Anita partly turned back to the terminal she sat at. "I guess that is how peace is supposed to be, right?"

Aki gave a simple nod and was about to answer her when she approached her desk and found a set of white flowers settled within her seat. She turned to Noal, who gave her a knowing smile.

_D..._

"Chief?"

"Yes. Quiet."

* * *

-

"It hasn't changed...After all this time..."

A beautifully flowered field with a lighthouse in the distance was displayed before the man as he gazed in the area. It had been some time since he'd been here, yet this place hadn't changed in over twenty years.

It's as though this place wasn't affected by the outside world, no matter how much it changed...

Speaking of which, much had changed for the Space Knights. After the final battle, they remained on high alert in case a Radham force came in a second wave. But nothing came. Not even signs of the two remaining tekkamen, who had disappeared after the fight. Were they lurking in the shadows, waiting to plot their own revenge, as Dagger had done? He hoped not. D honestly hoped that they would try to find a new life for themselves at the very least, just as he and Dead had done. But only time will tell. Right now, his mind was here...

...with his sister.

The young woman was gazing out at the landscape along with her brother. Her eyes slowly lowered to her hands. Despite all the time that had passed, her body was only slightly older than it had been when she 'died'. It was as though she was taken out of that point in time and thrust into a new era.

"And neither have I."

D-Boy looked over at Miyuki while she was still gazing at her hands; his usual shades absent from his face.

"Consider it... a reawakening to life."

"A reawakening...?" She took it into thought for minute and then smiled lightly. "Hmm... I guess so. " Her hands closed and she looked back out onto the field. "What will happen now, Takaya?"

D lifted his eyes toward the sky and for once in a long time, he could not sense the presence of Radham invaders.

"We live in peace. One day at a time."

* * *

-

_**Beach Boardwalk**_

-

The sun was setting in a fiery ruby over the oceanside of the beach. As various groups of people passed on a walkway, a sole person was leaning on railing looking out over the sea, his short emerald tresses of hair brushing lightly in the wind.

"Still thinking about her?"

Dead End closed his eyes with a thin smile as he heard David approach him from the side. The blond Space Knight stood next to him and lent on the railing along with his friend.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to find me." Dead mused.

"A pretty face distracted me for a bit." David grinned. His smile then slid away. "And you dodged the question."

Dead lowered his head and shut his eyes. "I still can't get over...what she did..."

And…there was something else...

"David... I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" David blinked. "For what?"

His eyes now open, Dead lifted them upward. "She tried to kill me. But even after all of that, she gave me the choice...to live or die. But when we fought, I didn't give you that. I was so bent on dying that I couldn't see past my own misery and.…" Dead lowered his head again. "I'm sorry. I probably should have apologized a long time..."

"No. There's no need to." David turned and faced him. "I'm just glad that it didn't come to that. We're friends after all."

"And we're Space Knights. The future is where we look, not the past."

Both men were surprised by the new speaker and turned to see her come up behind them.

"Natasha...? What are you doing out here?"

Natasha took a spot next to Dead. "Odd as it may be, I've been looking for you guys. We don't hang out enough and I figured why not now."

David continued to give her a strange glance. Being with Yumi and Hayato, he understood that she'd want to stay away with the younger members from time to time. But Natasha was normally a solitary person, so for her wanting to hang anyone was rare in itself. And to add on, she wanted be with them; them including Dead.

Odd indeed...

"Why at all?"

Dead didn't turn when he said that, but his narrow tone was evident. David looked with worry, hoping that they wouldn't come to blows or anything of the sort. But Natasha simply sighed and answered.

"Okay, look. It isn't any secret that we haven't been on the best of terms, Dead. But you helped us in that battle and I am grateful. We all are. So here's me, trying to start over." She turned to him once again. "Will you?"

Dead was silent for a moment and then his eyes lid close again. "I'll think about it."

David simply looked at the both of them, unsure at how he should even react. In the end, only a simple smile was what he could come up with. "Hey, how about we do that over a drink?" Moving around, he put his arms on both their shoulders and grinned. "Sound good, you two?"

"I suppose." Natasha shrugged.

Dead did the same. "Eh, why not."

_Thus the start of a beautiful friendship...hopefully..._

* * *

-

_**L-1 Colony**_

-

"Excuse me, Vice Foreign Minister Dorian?"

In the bay of the colony, Relena turned around to see a colony representative come up behind her. Since the end of the war, she had taken up her adoptive father's role to keep and continue the peace between Earth and the colonies that had come up from this war. As such, she also returned to her adoptive last name too.

The representative soon caught up to her. "I'm wondering, are you off to the Earth again?"

Relena nodded. "Yes. It's important that I get the Earth Sphere delegates to review this terraformation project ASAP."

"Aw, dear, that's really a shame." he replied, scratching the back of his head. "Because we were planning on having your birthday party here on our colony today."

The colony citizens have always been courteous, but to throw a party for her. And a birthday party at that. Relena had almost forgotten it was her birthday today. But she had a lot of work to do and simply did not have the time for it. All she could do now was apologize

"I'm terribly sorry..."

After the encounter, Relena made her way onboard her shuttle. Despite her dedication to her work, a part of her, the part of her that was the little girl when all of this started, wanted to go to that party. Yet that could not be, for she had her duty. Still, she just wished for something...she wasn't sure what. As she moved to her seat, the shoulder of a maintenance worker brushed across hers.

"Excuse me."

"It's all right." Relena replied as she searched for her seat. Finally reaching it, she was greeted with an unusual surprise. A small teddybear was in the set, holding a small invitation card. Reading it, her eyes widened as she saw who it came from. The very man who had brushed past her... Heading to the window, she saw him walking toward the exit, his cap no longer on, thus revealing his familiar features.

"Heero!"

The young man turned around and gazed up at her, but didn't say a word. Relena settled for a bit and with a smile, she lifted up the card. Closing her eyes, she gently tore the card in half, a reminder of their first encounter. Opening her eyes, she continued to smile at him.

"Next time, hand it to me in person."

His eyes seemed to brighten at this and then he turned and walked on. Relena watched him go, the smile never leaving her face for the gundam tekkaman that brought peace.

* * *

Thanks for reviews and reading go to… 

b123sedg, teknofan, Tina-Chan 0, SulliMike23, Silver Winged Dragon, mechapunk87, Dra Gan the 

Dragoniodian King, Cyblade Silver, I, Remark, ziki, teknoman Dark, Dan Inverse, SHAWN PROVONCHA,

ChaosControlX, ShadowSonic1, Nick aka Prettykinkyboy, Librarose, bakaforlove, Kaori, X-Calibur,

Wingzero899, Reactor VoltekkaIII, Rayver25, cherry, Cheery Wolf (same as cherry?) and everyone else who

have read this.

-

Wow. It's still hard to believe that I finished this. But before we all start getting teary-eyed (including me(Okay, mostly me)), attention is to be directed below.

* * *

_The year, AC 195. The final war fought between the Earth and space colonies had come to an end. _

_Eliminating the boundaries between nations, the colonies and Earth had chosen to co-exist, thus giving _

_birth to the Earth-Sphere Unified Nation. With the Radham absent, there was now hope for everlasting _

_peace. And now, the year AC 196, there are no longer any military weapons in the Earth Sphere._

_However, as long as humanity exists, there will always be battles..._

-

_**Gundam Tekkaman: Endless Waltz**_


End file.
